 |  |
Volleyball tames Union (Ky.) in four sets at Rumpke Invite
By Matt Green
GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Loren Olive and Leslie Welch had 13 kills apiece to lead Shorter to a 25-19, 25-14, 21-25, 25-21 victory over Union College (Ky.) on Friday afternoon in each team's first match of the Rumpke Invitational hosted by Georgetown College.
Jordan Corder finished with 39 assists and Tanequa Whitman with a team-high 18 digs for the Lady Hawks (7-0), who need a big rally in the fourth set to avoid a second straight five set contest.
Olive added 14 digs to her kill count and Jasmine Crook chipped in with 10 kills. Shorter is 7-0 for the first time in school history.
Things got interesting after the Lady Hawks cruised in the first two sets as the Bulldogs (2-5) responded with a 25-21 victory in set three.
Shorter then dug itself a hole in the fourth set as three straight attacking errors staked Union a 15-10 lead midway through the frame. The Lady Hawks still trailed 19-16 after a kill from Victoria Oliveria, who paced the Bulldogs with 13 kills, but a long rally that included three digs from Whitman and a block by Tori Bradley was capped by a kill from Corder that brought Shorter back within 19-17 and changed the momentum for good.
The Lady Hawks scored six of the next seven points to take a 23-20 lead before kills from Olive and Crook closed out the fourth set and handed the Lady Hawks a seventh straight win to open the season.
Welch, who hit .357 on 28 attacks, and Olive added seven and six blocks, respectively, and Bradley had six kills. Shorter hit .243 as a team and survived 14 service errors in the win.
Shorter returns to action tonight at 7:30 pm when it takes on Grace (Ind.) in game two of the invitational. Grace is receiving a vote in the latest NAIA Volleyball Top 25 Coaches Poll.
