Newberry, S.C. - The Newberry College Wolves finished out the Rollins Invitational with a pair of victories against the Bobcats of Georgia College and the hosts, the Tars of Rollins College.
Georgia College:
The Wolves would open up day two by earning a convincing three-set victory over the Bobcats of Georgia College with the closest set being the first by a score of 25-22. Newberry would proceed to take both the second and third sets each by scores of 25-19.
The match was highlighted by standout performances from several different players. Natasha Bannister would lead the attack with an outstanding 16 kills. Meanwhile Amanda Berecz made her impact on the defensive end, tallying 20 digs, Taylor Hall made her presence felt with an 11 kill and 12 dig double-double. However, perhaps the most notable stat line of the match belongs to Avery Webb who earned 44 assists, tying the school record for most assists in a three-set match.
Rollins:
The Wolves would carry their momentum into their match against Rollins as Bannister set the tone early, beginning the game with back-to-back kills. However, despite a strong effort the Wolves early lead would be the only one they have in the first set, falling 21-25.
Newberry would strike back in the second set, going on an early 7-0 run to claim a 9-2 lead. The Tars would grind back to within three, but Elizabeth Ober would soon have something to say about it, earning a block and a kill while leading Newberry to a 5-0 run to stretch their lead back out to a 19-12 advantage. The Tars would continue to fight back before Bannister ultimately ended the set at 25-20 with a kill.
In the third set, the Wolves would grab the lead early and never look back. The Tars managed to keep it close at times, but Newberry would never allow a single tie or lead change throughout the set before taking it by a score of 25-20.
The fourth set would be perhaps the most competitive with the score being tied on seven different occasions. However, Newberry would pull away with a 6-1 run headlined by back-to-back service aces by Hall to claim a 19-13 advantage, a lead that they would never give up en route to taking the set 25-20 and ultimately the match 3-1.
Webb would earn another double-double with 42 assists and 11 digs. Bannister had a strong 17 kills, and Berecz earned 24 digs. Ober, Hall, and Zoe Dinkins would all have solid outings as well. Ober notched 8 kills, 5 assists, and 4 block assists. Hall had 8 kills and 12 digs while Dinkins had 7 kills and 4 block assists.
The Wolves return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. facing the Erskine Flying Fleet for their home-opener at Eleazer Arena.
