Charlotte, NC –  No. 7 Johnson & Wales (14-8) hosted the annual JWU Tri-Match with Livingstone College (13-9) and Morris College (3-9).  The Lady Wildcats played well in both games, and were able to sweep the tri-match.

The first game of the tri-match between JWU and Livingstone got off to a quick start, as the Lady Wildcats took a 9-5 lead. JWU was able to win rallies behind solid team defense. Back to back kills from Moriah Hughes helped JWU go on a brief 3-0 run, before the Lady Blue Bears found their way back into the game, tying the score at 17. JWU dominated the course of play throughout the latter part of game one thanks to back to back blocks from Jazmyne Williams, and an ace from Madelyn Leonard. The Lady Wildcats cruised to a 25-18 win. 

Game two started off with the two teams trading the lead back and forth. JWU took an 8-6 lead behind kills from Reanna Bray and Hughes. Livingstone trimmed the JWU lead to 1 at 13-12 before the Lady Wildcats ripped off a 7-0 run, paced by the serving of Tori Dublino. The Lady Blue Bears closed the gap to six on two occasions, but JWU finished off game two 25-17. 

Mistakes from the Lady Wildcats gave Livingstone a 5-2 lead to start game three. A Moriah Hughes kill and Madelyn Leonard ace allowed JWU to tie the score at 9. The game remained tight until the Lady Wildcats again went on a run with Dublino serving. This time it was a 4-0 run that gave them a 24-18 lead. Two points later JWU would win the game 25-19, and the match 3-0.

Hughes had a total of 14 kills and 3 blocks. Kylie Marquardt earned 19 assists for JWU. Tori Dublino had 17 digs. Leonard pitched in 4 aces. Jazmyne Williams added 3 blocks.

The Lady Wildcats jumped out to a 9-1 lead in game one of the second match against Morris College. Morris rallied to cut the lead to five at 11-6, but three straight points, including consecutive aces from Hughes allowed the JWU lead to once again reach 8. The Lady Wildcats would maintain a comfortable working margin for the remainder of the game, winning 25-14.

The early portion of game two was a much closer affair. Neither team led by more than one until JWU turned a 7-6 deficit into an 11-7 lead with a 5-0 run. From that point, the Lady Wildcats slowly pulled away, scoring 14 of the last 19 points of the game, winning 25-12.

Game three also saw the two teams trade points in the early going. JWU was able to break a 9-9 tie with a 3-0 run. The Lady Wildcats extended their lead to six at 17-11 behind three consecutive kills from Jazmyne Williams (2) and Lucy Herrmann. Hermann then served JWU to an 11 point lead, capping it off with an ace. The Lady Wildcats finished off game three 25-14, winning the match 3-0.

Moriah Hughes had 11 kills and 3 aces in the match, while Marquardt tallied 16 assists. Summer Meredith recorded 15 digs. Lucy Herrmann returned from injury to also record 3 aces.

The Lady Wildcats are next in action Tuesday night as they make the short trip to take on Johnson C. Smith. Match time is 7pm.