Charleston, W.Va. - The University of Charleston Golden Eagles split a pair of matches on Friday in the UC/WVSU Crossover Tournament.
The Basics:
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
Game 1 Score: Shepherd 3, Charleston 0
Game 2 Score: Charleston 3, Young Harris 1
Game 1
Charleston was downed in three sets by the Rams of Shepherd University. In the first set, the scoring was pretty even until Shepherd went on a seven-point run to bring the score to 15-7, which carried them through the rest of the set. The second set proceeded similarly. Charleston and Shephard exchanged points early, but SU pulled ahead with five three-point runs in the set. In set three, UC jumped out to an early 8-3 lead, which was then matched by Shepherd with a seven-point run to bring the score to 10-8 in favor of SU. Charleston was able to bring the score back to even at 15, but multiple runs by Shepherd led to the deciding final score of 25-17. A key piece for Shepherd was setter Maggie Smith who contributed 29 of 33 total assists for the Rams.
Divine Muo led the Golden Eagles offense with 8 kills with a .333 hitting percentage. London Upchurch contributed 10 assists along with 7 digs. Kate Strong led the defensive effort with 8 blocks.
Game 2
The Golden Eagles secured their first home victory of the year in a four-set battle against Young Harris. In the first set, both teams traded sections of scoring, with six lead changes in the set. Tied at 20-20, UC pulled ahead to end the set with two kills and then a set-sealing block from Patrycja Majos. In set two, UC pulled away with an early lead. Down by two, Young Harris responded with a seven-point run to bring the score to 23-19. The Golden Eagles would not go down easy, as they worked the score back to a 24-24 tie, but the Mountain Lions would win by a score of 26-24. Charleston countered back in the third set, working their way back from multiple set-points to force a 28-26 win. In the fourth and final set, Charleston started hot and stayed hot. The Golden Eagles took an early lead and maintained that distance throughout, winning by a score of 25-17.
Charleston was backed by stellar performances from both Sahana Rajesh and Patrycja Majos. As the libero, Rajesh was all over the floor, supporting the Golden Eagles with 31 digs. Majos on the offensive end tied a career-high with 18 kills and had a .471 hitting percentage. Divine Muo and Madison Easton each contributed 9 kills.
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will continue tournament play on Saturday with a match against Roosevelt at 12:00 pm.
