Newberry, S.C. - The Newberry College Wolves (7-4 (2-2 SAC)) defeated South Atlantic Conference (SAC) opponent Mars Hill (10-5 (2-4 SAC)) 3-0 on Tuesday in Eleazer Arena.
"I thought the game went really well for us," said head coach Ross Kessler. "I mean we spent a lot of time after Anderson preparing and working out some kinks on our game, and for the most part our kids executed really well."
The Wolves would waste no time asserting themselves, beginning the match on a 9-1 run that featured back-to-back Avery Webb service aces. The Lions would fight back, but the Wolves would weather the Mars Hill attack, never allowing the Lions to get any closer than within three points throughout the set. The teams would be competitive for most of the remainder of the set, but Newberry would push their lead back out with Natasha Bannister ending the set with back-to-back kills that would cap off a 5-0 run, taking the set 25-16.
The second set would start out more competitively with both teams forcing a 5-5 tie. However, Taylor Hall would utilize a kill and a service ace to jumpstart the Newberry attack that went on a 6-1 run en route to a 11-6 advantage. They would immediately follow that with another 6-1 run in which Hall and Margaret McMahon both contributed a pair of kills. The Wolves would have to fend off a late 6-1 rally by the Lions, but Bannister would end the set with a kill, claiming it by a score of 25-17.
The third set would once again start out by going back-and-forth, but the Wolves would pull ahead to take as big as a 6-point advantage. However, the Lions would come storming back, responding with a 8-1 run to take a 17-16 lead. However, the Wolves would once again weather the storm, and Hall took matters into her own hands, ending the set with back-to-back kills and taking the set and the match 25-21 and 3-0, respectively.
Bannister and Hall would lead the way on the attack with 17 and 15 kills, respectively, and Bannister would also add 14 digs for the double-double. Webb would set up her teammates with 36 assists, while McMahon added in 7 kills of her own. On the defensive end, Amanda Berecz and Katie Ullsperger would each contribute double-digit digs with 13 and 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Zoe Dinkins would finish the match with 6 total blocks, 3 of which were solo.
"We had some really big performances from our outsides tonight," said Kessler. "Natasha Bannister and Taylor Hall did a really nice job for us, and overall, I thought it was a complete game for us. Now, we are going to enjoy this one tonight, and we are going to get back to work tomorrow preparing for Coker on Thursday."
The Wolves now turn their attention to South Atlantic Conference opponent, Coker, on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. in Eleazer Arena.
