CSU Ends Five Straight on the Road with a 3-0 Loss at Presbyterian College

CLINTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern dropped another Big South match on the road, falling in a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-22, 26-24) against the Presbyterian College Blue Hose, Saturday at Ross E. Templeton Arena.  The Bucs have been in a road funk as of late and managed just a .052 attack percent against the Blue Hose.  CSU dropped to 11-14 on the year and 2-8 in the Big South while PC improved to 9-15 with a 4-5 conference mark.  

Amanda Hill reached double figures with 10 kills, while the Bucs tallied 31 kills as a team.  Cori Holeman stayed near the top of the conference as a middle blocker, with six kills and seven blocks.  The Blue Hose hit .221 as a team, led by Lisa Shelly, who had a match best 15 kills to go along with 10 digs.  

PC set the tone of the match early on in set one, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage on a CSU error.  The Blue Hose extended their lead out to the 11-6 mark, but the Bucs used a 4-2 run, capped off by a Hill kill to cut the deficit to three.  PC responded with a 5-2 run of their own and played comfortably from ahead, cruising to a 25-16 win.

The second set came down to the wire, after eight ties and six lead changes in the frame.  After falling behind 3-1, CSU exploded for a 9-3 run for a 10-6 lead, with a kill and a block from Holeman in the process.  The Blue Hose weren’t fazed however, rattling off four unanswered to tie it up.  The set stayed tied out to the 17-17 mark and PC established a 19-17 lead that they would not let go of.  It was anyone’s game with CSU trailing 23-22, but PC managed to hold on for the 25-23 win.  

More of the same in the third set brought eight ties and three lead changes, while the biggest lead either team held was four.  The set started by trading points for a 3-3 score, before the Bucs took a 5-3 lead after a Nichole Diller kill.   CSU took the biggest lead of the set at 11-7, thanks in part to three Sam Sasan kills over seven points.  The Blue Hose again had four consecutive points that tied it at 11, but the Bucs stayed on top with an 18-15 score.  CSU surrendered a lead they held the entire match when PC went ahead 21-20 on a Kelly kill.  A 24-24 tie left the set wide open, but the Blue Hose capitalized again, taking the set and the match with a 26-24 score.

CSU will finally return home when they play in their dig pink match against Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, October 27th, at 6 p.m.  PC will now start their own road stretch against UNC Asheville, also on October 27th, at 7 p.m.