BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Newberry College volleyball team opened its season at the King Invitational by earning a split, defeating Uva-Wise (3-0) before falling to Shorter (3-0) in its final match on Friday at the Student Center.

Match 1: Newberry 3, Uva-Wise 0

The Newberry College volleyball team won their season opener at the King Invitational against Uva-Wise (0-1) Friday morning, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-13).

Mary Siebert led the way for the Wolves with nine kills, while Maggie Marsh had 26 assists. Logan Hayward had a team-high 13 digs and four aces.

It was a back and forth affair during the first set as the two teams tied the score four times. Newberry created some separation, going on a 7-2 run to lead 18-13. Uva-Wise made a run to close the gap to two points at 24-22, but a service error gave the Wolves a first set win.

The second set started the same as the first, with both teams going back and forth. But the Wolves used an 11-2 run midway through the second set to take control. The Cavaliers attempted a late rally but Newberry held on to win the set 25-20.

The Wolves dominated the third set and took control early, leading 11-4. Newberry won the third and decisive set 25-13 to sweep Uva-Wise 3-0. The Wolves had a match-best .407 hitting percentage in the third set.

As a team, the Wolves had 34 kills on 91 attempts giving them a .242 hitting percentage. The team also tallied six total team blocks.    

Match 2: Shorter 3, Newberry 0

Newberry came up short in their final match of the day against Shorter (2-0) Friday afternoon, losing in straight sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-21).

Madison Darby-McClure led Newberry with eight kills. Hayward and Kensley Jordan had 17 digs apiece.  

Shorter took a commanding 7-2 lead in the first set. Newberry managed to close the gap to 8-6. The Hawks eventually pulled away, winning the set 25-14.

The Wolves hung tough in the second set, tying the Hawks 7-7. Shorter went on a 10-4 run to lead 17-11. SU won set number two 25-16.

Newberry started out on fire in the third set, running out to a 6-0 lead. The Hawks battled back and managed to tie the set at 13-13.  Shorter then got into a rhythm and defeated the Wolves by a set score of 25-21. The Hawks swept the Wolves 3-0 in the final match for Newberry on Friday.

The Wolves will play their remaining two games at the King Invitational. Newberry will face host King and Erskine tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.