CHARLESTON, S.C. - The VolleyBucs hosted UNC Asheville on Saturday for an early afternoon Big South matchup. Coming into the match, the Bulldogs were 2-1 in conference play and were hoping to continue that positive record.
The night before this match, the Bucs lost in heartbreaking fifth-set fashion to a talented USC Upstate team. With that in mind, Head Coach Carry Brown's squad was motivated to finish off their impressive week with an impressive win over UNC Asheville.
Their fire was noticeable from the first serve. The Bucs blazed to a 25-21 first set victory. Their momentum would dip in sets two and three, and although they kept the score as close as they could, CSU would drop both sets 25-21 and 25-19.
With a potential loss at their doorstep, the Bucs would not accept defeat. Asheville started the set with a lead, but the effort that followed would completely change the Buc Dome's energy. The Bucs would make play after play, scrapping their way back into the lead. When opportunity called, CSU picked up on the first ring. The VolleyBucs won the set 25-20 and seemingly felt some deja vu as they were heading to a fifth set for the second time in under 24 hours.
With the match all tied up 2-2, CSU and Asheville went back and forth to the ninth point. The score was tied at nine, the sets were tied at two, everything was even, and Coach Brown needed someone to step up. Those playmakers were none other than true freshman Naya Martinez and fellow underclassman Faith Burch. Burch, who has numerous clutch highlights from across the season, got the kill for the 14th point of the fifth set. Martinez, a defensive specialist and libero, was back up to serve while the words, "match point Buccaneers" echoed off of the Buc Dome walls. Martinez served the ball, saw it received by an Asheville player, and then saw the ball fall to the floor on the opponent's side of the court… Bucs' win. The gym erupted. Martinez was swarmed by her teammates and every blue and gold wearing individual had a gleaming smile on their face.
In addition to Burch and Martinez finishing the match in the scoring column, many Bucs saw success and helped lead the team to another conference victory.
Skylar Yates continued her all-around play as she added 15 kills and 14 digs to her total season tallies. Emily Struckmeyer recorded 5 kills and a .364 attacking percentage. Ilaria Durante, who led the team in digs with 17, also dished out 40 assists. Brenna Rowland continued her week-long block party with five blocks and an additional 7 kills. An impressive story of the afternoon, belonged to sophomore Luana Carvalho. Carvalho did not play the night before due to illness, and did not enter the Asheville match until the second set. Not only did she enter the match, she made an immediate impact. When she entered the match, the Bucs had 12 points. When the Bucs reached 17 points, four of them were by Carvalho. Asheville called a quick timeout, and Carvalho was celebrated by every member of the Bucs' bench and fan base. She continued her attacking effort through the made and eventually finished second on the team in kills (12) on a solid .259 attacking percentage.
The match against Asheville ended a five home match stretch for CSU, and the team' next contest will be at Winthrop University on October 25th at 6 PM.
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