Charlotte Wins Cross-County Battle, 3-0

Tuesday, September 22

Charlotte, N.C.

7:00 p.m.

Davidson College

Charlotte

9/22/2009 8:55:14 PM | Volleyball

By: Lauren Biggers-- Assistant SID

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte 49ers defeated the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-22), in the tightly-contested, cross-county battle at Halton Arena Tuesday evening.

Sarabeth Peele tallied 15 kills for Davidson (2-12), while Charlotte (9-6) had a pair of players with nine kills in Jenna Litoborski and Bianca Rouse. Hayley Lawson posted 28 assists for the Wildcats, while Charlotte setter Sheri Davis had 29. Jennifer Chamblee paced the Davidson defense with eight digs, and Kaitlin Knight made a match-best 12 for the 49ers.

After taking a 20-13 lead, the 'Cats dropped a heart breaker in the first set as the 49ers closed with a 12-3 run. Davidson used four kills from Peele and a pair from each Lawson and Jorden Benedict to pull away from an 8-8 deadlock in the opening set. But holding on to a 21-16 lead, Charlotte knotted the score with a 5-0 run. A Charlotte setting error put Davidson back up a point, but a Wildcat error tied the score once more. The teams traded points until, evened at 23, a Shari Davis kill and a Davidson error delivered the 25-23 victory in favor of Charlotte.

While Charlotte took a slight 9-6 lead to open the second set, the Wildcats would even the score at 11 behind a 5-1 run. The teams would side out for the next six possessions, until Charlotte used a pair of scores to grab a 19-17 edge. Davidson responded with a kill from Peele before a Charlotte error knotted the set again. Litoborski took the next point and a Davidson error pushed the margin to two once again, but Peele put the 'Cats back within one, 21-20. The 49ers, though, would close the match with a 4-0 run and claim a 25-20 win to go ahead 2-0 in the match.

Indicative of the match, the third set would come down to the last points as well. The Wildcats took a 6-3 lead to start the final set and held the margin through the first half. But with Davidson leading 13-10, Charlotte used a 5-2 span to tie the score at 15. The Wildcats answered with a 5-1 run of their own to take a 20-16 lead, but the 49ers won the next four points to even things at 20. Chamblee lifted the 'Cats a point, but a Litoborski kill combined with three straight Davidson errors gave Charlotte a 24-21 lead. Though the 'Cats would fight off one match point on a Peele putaway, Jennifer Webb would punch home the match-winner for the 25-22 victory.

Davidson will open Southern Conference play this weekend, traveling to Wofford for a 2 p.m. match Saturday, before heading to Furman for a 2 p.m. match Sunday.