NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The UNC Pembroke volleyball team hit a match-best .417 in the third set and finished the match with nine blocks on the way to a 3-0 (25-16, 28-26, 25-22) sweep over Mount Olive in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Tournament on Friday inside the North Charleston Athletic Center.
The Braves (17-17, 11-7 CC) have now won their last six games and will play in their third-straight Conference Carolinas Tournament championship on Saturday against Converse. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. inside the North Charleston Athletic Center.
The setback for the Trojans (20-8, 16-2 CC) snapped a five-game winning streak.
UNC Pembroke took an early 11-4 lead with blocks from Abby Peduzzi and Ruby Countryman in the opening set. The Braves hit .275 from the net and would eventually push their lead out to 17-9 with a kill from McKenna Hayes. Mount Olive chipped away at its deficit 20-14, but UNCP outscored the Trojans 5-2 to take the first set 25-16.
Mount Olive got the quick start in the second set taking a 10-4 advantage following Ashlyn Stone’s kill. UNC Pembroke would put together a 6-0 run capped off with a service ace from Peduzzi to gain a 14-13 lead, but the Trojans stopped the run with a kill to knot the score at 14 apiece. Both teams traded points before the Braves took a slight 25-24 lead with a kill from Precious Daley. Mount Olive fended off a set point to give them their own set point, but UNCP tied the score at 26 following a UMO service error. The Braves won the final two points of the set, polished off with a kill from Abby Peduzzi, and with a 28-26 set win took a 2-0 match lead.
Mount Olive took a 14-11 lead midway through the third set after back-to-back service aces from Breanna Tanton. UNC Pembroke rattled off an 8-2 surge to take a 19-16 lead after a kill from Tyler Patterson. The Braves hit a match-best .417 from the net and never relinquished their lead, winning 25-22 to clinch the match.
Daley had 12 kills for UNCP, Countryman had eight kills and five blocks, McKenna Hayes had eight kills and four blocks, Tyler Patterson had 35 assists and three blocks, Savannah Whaley had 13 digs, Karagyn Durco and Brette Doile each had 12 digs and Peduzzi had four aces.
Braves swimming 12th after second day at Fall Frenzy
The UNC Pembroke swimming team posted a pair of NCAA B Standard times to highlight action on the second day of the Fall Frenzy on Friday inside the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. .
The Braves currently sit in 12th place with a total of 84 points through 12 events.
Britta Schwengle finished 20th in the 500-yard Freestyle with an NCAA B Standard time of 5:02.96. Newcomer Fabiana Pesce finished 12th in the 50-yard Freestyle and broke the school record during the prelims with an NCAA B Standard time of 23.37. Pesce touched the wall in a time of 23.52 in the finals.
The Braves will resume action at the Fall Frenzy on Saturday.
