Hosting the Newberry College Volleyball Invitational, the Newberry College women's volleyball team (3-3, 0-0 SAC) got their home season off to a hot start, taking wins against both Lees-McGrae College and Valdosta State University in three sets.
 
In game one, the Wolves jumped out to an early 3-0 lead from a kill from sophomore Baylor Herlehy (Auburn, Calif.) and errors from the Bobcats. After trading points, a block from Herlehy and freshman Samantha Shaffer (Belle Isle, Fla.) and an ace from junior Taylor Hall (McDonough, Ga.) put the wolves up early in the set 6-1. A steady lead was kept throughout the set until a run from Bobcats tied the set up at 17. The teams went back and forth throughout the set until a service error from the Bobcats led to a huge kill from freshman Kate Brown (Platte City, Mo) ended the set, giving the Wolves a 26-24 win in the first set.
 
Quick errors and kills from both Brown and senior Olivia Diggs (Titusville, Fla.) got the Wolves starting hot in the second set, giving them a 7-2 lead early on. The attacks kept coming from the Wolves, as Hall and Herlehy back-to-back on kills followed by multiple errors from the Bobcats extended their lead to 13-4. The momentum continued throughout the set, as they easily took won the second set, 25-15.
 
The momentum from the second set carried right over into the third set with a service ace from senior Avery Webb (Florence, S.C.) and a kill from Shaffer gave the wolves a quick 2-0 lead. After service error from the Wolves, they picked right back up with kills from Webb and Shaffer and the serving of Hall gave the Wolves a 7-1 lead early. The lead stayed the same throughout until multiple kills from Shaffer and senior Katie Ullsperger (Lexington, S.C.) quickly put the set and game away, taking the set 25-13.

Shaffer led the team the team with a game high 10 kills and Webb lead the team with 14 assists.
 
In game two, the Wolves got out to a quick start from errors from the Blazers and the serving from Webb, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The Blazers responded back with their own run, but five straight kills from the Wolves gave them huge momentum early, which they carried throughout the set, having a lead as large at 13. Valdosta State made a charge late to try to close the gap, but it wasn't enough, as the Wolves took the first set, 25-18. 
 
The second set would see the sides go back and forth, until errors from the Blazers and kills from Hall and Herlehy would give them a 10-6 lead early on. The Blazers would keep close on the Wolves, forcing at tie at 22, until back-to-back kills from Hall would give them a 24-22 lead going into match point. Valdosta State would answer quickly and would go back and forth until errors from the Blazers and a kill from Shaffer would give the Wolves the second set victory.
 
The third set played like the second set each team took a turn carrying the momentum. Tied at 19, the Blazers took control of the set, getting all the way to match point in the set. The Wolves went on a 5-0 run led by errors from the Blazers and kills from Herlehy and Webb to keep the set going. Tied at 25, a kill from Hall gave the Wolves a point lead and an error from the Blazers sealed the set for Newberry and the victory against Valdosta State.
 
Hall and Brown led the team with 8 kills, followed by Webb, who had 15 assists to lead the Wolves. 
 
The Wolves will be back in action tomorrow morning to close out the Newberry College Volleyball Invitational, as they take on the University of West Alabama Tigers at 10 AM, followed by a game against the Southern Wesleyan University Warriors at 7PM