Box Score Hickory, NC – The Wildcats (0-1) traveled to Hickory on Thursday evening to play the Buccaneers of Catawba Valley Community College in JWU's first match of the 2013 season. Following a successful preseason, the Wildcats had high hopes of earning a win in their first match. Unfortunately, JWU fell short as the Buccaneers took the match 3-0.
CVCC controlled play early, scoring the first 4 points of game one. The Wildcats were able to feed the ball to outside hitter Moriah Hughes, going on a 3-1 run to get back into the game. The Buccaneers continued their strong play, but the Wildcats were able to hold their own with strong play from Madelyn Leonard and Reanna Bray, and eventually tied the game at 11. Following a timeout, CVCC went on a 4-1 run to take the lead 19-16. The Wildcats continued to make errors at the net, allowing the Buccaneers to close out game one, 25-20.
The Buccaneers started game two with hard-hitting offense, taking a 7-2 lead. Coach Phillips attempted to re-group the Wildcats with a timeout, but CVCC stretched their lead, to 9-3. JWU responded by cutting their lead in half, 9-6. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers re-established control at the net and pressed their lead to 14-7. JWU was able to chip away at the CVCC lead due to great defense from Jazmyne Williams, Kylie Marquardt, and Stephanie Harris. The Wildcats were able to close the deficit to 22-20 behind strong defense from Tori Dublino and Bray, combined with strong offense from Hughes. JWU was unable to finish their comeback in game two, as CVCC took it 25-21.
Each team's offense was clicking to start game three, which would prove to be the final one of the match. Poor service by CVCC and several errors by JWU kept the game close at 7-6. The Buccaneers improved their play and stretched the lead with a 9-1 run, extending the score to 16-7. Trailing 20-9, Coach Phillips called her second timeout of the game, in hopes of refocusing her team. The Wildcats responded with a 4-1 run, but could not keep their rally going. The Buccaneers took the final game 25-15.
The Lady Wildcats are next in action as they travel to Kinston, NC to play in the Lenoir Community College Tri-Match on August 24th.
