NEWBERRY, S.C. – Newberry College senior outside hitter Natasha Bannister set a program-record for kills in a three-set match, recording 20 kills and adding five block assists in a 3-0 win over Mars Hill on Friday night.
 
On senior night, senior setter Deandra Atwood was in the starting lineup. Newberry claimed the opening point on a kill from Bannister. The Wolves traded scores with the Lions and were trailing 9-8 after a service error. Senior middle blocker Zoe Dinkins initiated a three-point rally with a kill, giving her two on the night and 499 in her career. Five points later, Dinkins gave the Wolves a 13-11 lead and secured the 500th kill of her career. The senior from Chapel Hill, N.C. followed up her milestone with a service ace, putting Newberry ahead 14-11.
 
Newberry reached their 20th point in the middle of a five-point run featuring two kills from Bannister and an ace from junior libero Amanda Berecz. The scoring streak put Newberry up 21-14. Sophomore setter Avery Webb brought the Wolves to set point, 24-15 with an ace and Dinkins finished the job with a kill as the Wolves took set one, 25-16.
 
Dinkins opened up the second set with another kill, giving Newberry a 1-0 advantage. The Wolves never trailed in the second and led by as much as seven points on two separate occasions. Their first seven-point lead occurred as part of a five-point rally which included three-consecutive kills from Bannister. Their other seven-point advantage came at 21-14 when freshman middle hitter Margaret McMahon earned a kill off an assist from Webb. Webb had 10 assists in the second set and gave Newberry a 25-19 set victory with an ace.
 
Mars Hill owned the early portion of the third set, going up 6-3. Newberry then outscored the Lions 6-1 over the next seven points with kills from freshman outside hitter Taylor Hall, McMahon, and two from Bannister. Mars Hill battled back for three mid-set ties, including a knotted score at 17-17. However, the Wolves responded with another 6-1 scoring run to get to a 23-18 lead. Newberry earned their final two points on Lions errors and won 3-0 for the second time this season, snapping a two-match losing streak.
 
FAST FACTS

• Dinkins had six kills, five block assists and a block solo. She now has 503 career kills and currently sits at 290 career blocks.
• Bannister had 6.67 kills per set, hitting .390.
• Berecz had 17 digs, reaching 17 or more digs for the third time this season. Hall had 13 digs, her third double-digit dig performance of the season.
• Newberry has now beaten four teams that were ranked above them in the South Atlantic Conference preseason poll.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Wolves (4-3, 4-3 SAC) play their final two games of the season on the road. They face Carson-Newman (5-2, 5-2 SAC) on Friday, Apr. 2nd at 7 p.m.