NORFOLK, Va. --
Ellen Gundlach,
Farrah Eike and
Caroline Buffum combined for 36 kills during a four-set victory by the Navy volleyball team over UMES, Saturday afternoon at the ODU Volleyball Center in Norfolk, Va. The Mids (2-6) ended their non-league schedule with the 20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17 victory over the Hawks (1-6).
"We took another step toward being a connected, cohesive unit on the floor," said Navy head coach
Paco Labrador. "UMES runs a very complex offense and I'm proud of our game plan execution today. Our attacking balance was really good, and that's a reflection of some better ball control and more opportunities generated by our defense. It's nice to build some momentum heading into the start of league play."
Set One
The score was tied at 15, then UMES went on a 6-2 run to take a 21-17 lead. Navy closed to within two points at 21-19 only to see the Hawks score the next three points to reach set point with a 24-19 advantage. A pair of sideouts gave UMES the opening set.
Set Two
Navy held a slim lead for most of the first half of the frame, before slowly opening up leads of 15-11, 19-13 and 22-15. That was enough of a cushion for the Mids to win the set and even the match.
Set Three
Navy used a 4-0 run to turn a slim 5-4 lead into a 9-4 cushion. The margin grew to seven points at 13-6 before UMES reeled in the Mids a bit by closing to within 13-10. Back-to-back points by the Mids returned the lead to five at 15-10 leading into the media timeout. The difference between the teams hovered between three and five points until Navy expanded it to seven at 23-16. However, a 4-0 run by the Hawks made it a 23-20 score and resulted in a timeout being called by the Mids.
A kill by Gundlach stopped the run and took Navy to set point. A UMES kill made the score 24-21, then a kill by Buffum gave the Mids a 2-1 lead in sets.
Set Four
A close set saw Navy holding a 13-11 lead when the Mids scored three-straight points to take a 16-11 advantage. The Hawks made it a 16-13 score, then a pair of kills from Eike returned the lead to five points at 18-13.
Grace Burgoyne followed with a kill to give Navy a 19-13 cushion, then
Kinamoni Jerome dropped in an ace to stretch the lead to 20-13. After a block by the Hawks, a 3-0 run extended the Navy lead to 23-14 and the Mids were on their way to finishing the match that lasted two hours and 10 minutes.
Statistical Summary
Navy posted 53 kills and a .252 hitting percentage while holding UMES to 42 kills and a .130 hitting performance. The Mids led the Hawks in both aces, 6-3, and service errors, 17-7. Both teams had 10 blocks and UMES held a 52-50 edge in digs.
Gundlach's 13 kills were one more than the 12 totaled by Eike and two more than the 11 tallied by Buffum. Gundlach also hit .478 (13-2-23) and Eike hit .323 (12-2-31).
Amara Chambers led the Navy passers with 17 digs while
Siena Morgan led the team's blockers with seven.
Up Next
Navy opens its Patriot League season with matches Friday at Colgate (noon) and Saturday at Holy Cross (4 p.m.).
