Pacers Sweep Methodist and Mary Baldwin in Conference Tri

Raleigh, NC-The Peace College volleyball team enjoyed a big day in today's USA South tri-match at the Hermann Student Center.  The Pacers defeated the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels 3-2 in the opening match and closed with a 3-2 win over the Monarchs in the nightcap.  This marked the first Pacer win over Methodist since 2005.  Peace improved to 7-9 overall (3-3 USAS).  MBC dropped to 3-14 overall (1-6 USAS), including the day's loss to Methodist.  MU moved to 11-4 overall (5-3 USAS) with a split in today's action.

The hosts opened the day with a five-set battle over Mary Baldwin.  Peace took the first 25-22 on a kill from Megan Melchiorre (Durham, NC), who finished with 13 kills and 22 digs in the match.

Peace held a 13-11 lead over the Fighting Squirrels in set two before Amanda Miller turned the tide with a three-point service run to give her team a two-point lead.  Peace would tie their opponents on one more occasion but never regain the lead.  MBC tied the match 1-1 with a 25-20 win.

The teams split the next two sets to force a deciding game.  Mary Baldwin and the Pacers were tied on four occasions in set five before Peace took a four-point lead to go up 13-9.  But the Squirrels continued to fight with two kills and an ace to bring the game back to even at 13.  The Pacer offense managed a kill from Melchiorre and another from Elizabeth Evanoff (Manns Harbor, NC) to edge past their opponents 16-14 to win the match.

Methodist swept Mary Baldwin in the middle match of the day but Peace stole their momentum with a 25-22 set-one win in the nightcap.  Methodist would take the next two 25-19, 25-23. 

The Pacers opened set four with a quick 3-0 lead and maintained a small advantage until the Monarchs tied the set 10-10 on two Peace errors.  Two kills from Amber Lowe (Cedar Grove, NC) and a couple of MU errors put PC back up by three and forced a Methodist timeout to regroup.  Peace kept the pressure on their opponents and maintained the advantage to seal the 25-19 win and force a deciding set.

The Monarchs took quick control of the fifth with an early 8-4 lead.  The Pacers began to chip away at the deficit and tied the set at 12 on a Monarch service error.  Bree Crook (Reno, NV) capped off the win with a service ace and a kill from teammate Kaitlyn Craven (Southern Pines, NC) to seal the 15-12 win and take the match.

Evanoff led Peace from the middle with 25 kills and six blocks on the day.  Lowe closed with 27 kills and 38 digs, and Crook earned a combined 70 assists and a match-high 25 digs against MBC.  Libero Kayla Schuller (Raleigh, NC) led Peace in the nightcap with 22 digs, earning 39 on the day.

The Mary Baldwin libero Carla Hill cleaned house with 60 digs versus the Pacers.  Monarch setter Kayci Miller recorded a match high 42 assists, adding six kills and 16 digs.

Peace travels across town Tuesday, September 29, for a 7:00 pm league match versus the Avenging Angels.  The team returns to the Hermann Center Thursday to face Guilford College in a rematch beginning at 7:00 pm.  Peace lost a 3-2 battle to the Quakers in the season opener with a 19-17 deciding set.  See you on the sidelines!