Raleigh, NC -- The William Peace University women's volleyball team defeated Mary Baldwin 3-1 and Salem College 3-0 on Saturday, October 19th in the USA South Tri-Match. The Pacers now improve to 17-7 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

Game One
In the first set, the Pacers would take a quick 4-0 lead over Mary Baldwin. The first set would never see a tie score, as the Pacers tried to extend the lead as much as possible. Abby Benton would get the Pacers to a double-digit lead with an important kill, bringing the score to 17-7. Kills by Emerson Scollo and Jasmine Smith would continue to see the Pacers keep a heavy lead over Mary Baldwin. Mary Baldwin would continue to fight, but it wouldn't be enough as the Pacers won the first set 25-12.

Mary Baldwin kept the Pacers from getting ahead early into the second set by keeping the game close at all costs. Shelby Cooper's kill would help see the Pacers to their first three-point lead of the second set with the score being 10-7. Mary Baldwin would soon find their rhythm as they not only scored four in a row but also took a 13-11 lead. The Pacers would respond shortly after by scoring five in a row and taking the lead back with a 17-15 advantage. The Pacers would fight hard for the entire set but fell just short, losing the set 25-23.

In the third set, the Pacers would quickly break out from Mary Baldwin with a service ace by Abby Benton for a 3-1 lead. It did not stop there as the Pacers would stay on a roll with Brienna Laskowski extended a lead with a kill to bring the score to 8-4. Just like the first set, the Pacers would not see a tie score as they held the lead for the entire set. The score would however remain close until a barrage of points came from the Pacers as they clinched the third set 25-20.

In the fourth and last set, the Pacers wasted no time as they quickly extended the lead to 15-3 against Mary Baldwin, with the last 8 points being scored consecutively. The Pacers would not take their foot off of the gas pedal as a kill from Jasmine Smith would give the Pacers to a dominant lead of 21-7. The Pacers would not let the Fighting Squirrels score another point as a kill from Abby Benton sealed the game with a final score of the set being 25-7. 

The Breakdown

• Abby Benton led with 11 kills, while Brittany Carpenter contributed 19 assists.
• Bergin Gillespie had 26 digs and Jasmine Smith recorded 3 blocks.

The Foes

• Madison Cash led Mary Baldwin with 15 digs
• Emma Tomlinson recorded 17 assists

Game Two
In the first set, Salem College would slowly begin to pull away from the Pacers with a kill from Madelyn Chappell sending the score to 5-2. Paige Emore would soon bring the game to a tie score of 5-5 with a kill assisted by Brittany Carpenter. Abby Benton would help see the Pacers to their first lead of the set with a kill assisted by Brittany Carpenter, bringing the score to 18-17. The score would remain close, but the Pacers would not concede the lead. The Pacers would win the first set with a score of 25-22.

Salem College and the Pacers came out evenly matched in the second set. The Pacers found their rhythm against Salem College as they ended up scoring 14 consecutive points for a 21-7 advantage. The Spirits would end up cooling down the Pacers hot hand as they fought to stay in the game. The Spirits found themselves 9 more points before Brienna Laskowski would put an end to the set with a kill assisted by Brittany Carpenter.

In the third set, the Pacers would come out the gate strong as they quickly got a large lead over the Spirits. Brienna Laskowski would help extend the lead with a kill assisted by Sarah Scott to make the score 10-2. The Spirits fought to come back but it just wouldn't be enough. The Pacers would go on to score 6 consecutive points to keep the upper hand on the Spirits. Brienna Laskowski would eventually end the game with a kill assisted by Sarah Scott to clinch the set and the game.

The Breakdown 

• Mya Parks lead the game with 15 kills, 15 digs, and 2 aces.
• Brittany Carpenter had 17 assists.

The Foes

• Kathryn O'Connell led the Spirits with 10 digs.
• Hannah Delcamp recorded 25 assists.

What's Next
The Pacers will have a week before they travel to Danville, VA for the Averett Tri-Match against Pfeiffer University and Averett University on October 26th. The games will begin at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m..