Tuesday was filled with Conference Carolinas action and a few EIVA and MIVA teams getting going as the DI-II week is now underway. While some middle of the pack shuffling occurred in the Conference Carolinas while maybe the biggest story was Princeton and (RV) Barton’s out-of-conference victories to keep their lengthy win streaks rolling.
Limestone Def. Erskine 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 27-25, 25-15)
- Limestone 5-13 (2-9, Conf. Carolinas); Erskine 7-14 (4-7 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- Limestone Press Release
- Erskine Press Release
It wasn’t the prettiest match in terms of keeping the serve in play, but an aggressive serve that netted seven aces and 17 serve errors kept Erskine on their toes to the tune of a .039 mark. This was a bit of an upset in Conference Carolinas play, as it comes as a tough loss for an Erskine team right in the middle of the pack. On the flip side, it keeps Limestone out of last place as they put together a .228 hitting percentage in showing potential with two lead attackers.
(RV) Barton Def. Coker 3-1 (25-19, 27-25, 18-25, 25-21)
- (RV) Barton 15-6 (11-0 Conf. Carolinas); Coker 10-8
- Box Score
- Barton Press Release
- Coker Press Release
In a meeting between the top team from Conference Carolinas (Barton) and the top independent team (Coker), it was the Bulldogs flexing their muscles and earning a 3-1 victory. The third was a bit of an exception for Barton, as they hit -.048, but in the other three they hit .345, .438 and .478. That was led by a three-headed monster of Aleksa Brkovic (14 kills, .290, eight digs), Angelos Mandilaris (12 kills, .194, five blocks, five digs) and Nick Leary (11 kills, .556, six blocks) as the Bulldogs moved their winning streak to 10.
North Greenville Def. Emmanuel 3-0 (32-30, 25-17, 25-19)
- North Greenville 11-11 (5-5 Conf. Carolinas); Emmanuel 8-13 (4-8 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- Emmanuel Press Release
- North Greenville Press Release
The North Greenville offense could not be stopped in a win over Emmanuel, pushing North Greenville into a clear spot for fourth in the Conference Carolinas. NGU hit .364 for the match and racked up 10.5 blocks compared to a .241 and eight block day for Emmanuel. A big portion of that was from Aaron Campbell (13 kills, .409, four digs, three blocks), as NGU is now just one of four teams in the league with a .500 or better conference record.
#18 McKendree Def. Quincy 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-13)
- #18 McKendree 9-10 (5-5 MIVA); Quincy
- Box Score
- McKendree Press Release
- Quincy Press Release
McKendree has been on a roll of late, winning three in a row and moving back to .500 now in MIVA play. That opposes Quincy, who has yet to find their footing in league action. In total, McKendree hit .370 to Quincy’s .172 and also notably won the blocking battle 7-2. Nolan Rueter (12 kills, .632, six digs) was on his ‘a’-game for McKendree while Quincy’s Anthony Winter (15 kills, .375) was great but got just 20 more kills from everyone else on the team.
Princeton Def. Lindenwood 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 14-25, 15-9)
- Princeton 7-11 (5-4 EIVA); Lindenwood 8-11 (2-7 MIVA)
- Box Score
- Princeton Press Release
- Lindenwood Press Release
The Tigers survived an offensive onslaught from Lindenwood in earning a five-set victory to push their winning streak to six matches. It was an explosive offensive match for both sides really though, with Lindenwood at .377 and Princeton at .304. All that mattered once things got to a fifth though wasn’t Lindenwood’s .609 in the fourth, but their .261 fifth compared to a .529 clip from Princeton. George Huhmann (19 kills, .317, six digs, five aces) continued his hot streak as he opposed Nick Stevenson (21 kills, .559, nine digs) in the victory.
Belmont Abbey Def. Lees-McRae 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 25-20)
- Belmont Abbey 8-14 (5-7 Conf. Carolinas); Lees-McRae 2-15 (0-9 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- Belmont Abbey Press Release
- Lees-McRae Press Release
In a defensive battle, Belmont Abbey took down Lees-McRae in a four-setter. It was strong progress for a team without a win in the Conference Carolinas, while Belmont Abbey garnered a nice victory with a few others in the middle of the league standings losing. Nothing really stood out from an advantage for either team in terms of totals, but Belmont Abbey did have the advantage in having Liam Maxwell (25 kills, .388, five digs, two aces), who’s individual performance carried them to the finish line.
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