HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College volleyball team earned a split during its final two matches of the Valley Invitational on Saturday at the Tarlton Complex.
The Red Hawks fell to top-ranked Division II team Owens (Ohio) in a match that marked the first time ever a No. 1 squad had visited the Tarlton Complex.
In Saturday's nightcap, CVCC was able to rebound and overcome an early deficit and defeat St. Clair County (Mich.).
Below are the complete results from both matches:
No. 1 Owens (Ohio) 3, No. 17 CVCC 1
In a rematch of last year's Division II third-place national tournament game, the Express prevailed in a back-and-forth battle with the Red Hawks in a match up of top-ranked NJCAA Division II teams.
Karsyn Mundy paced CVCC (16-5) with 11 kills, Adair Melton added 10 kills and Leslie Leonard tallied nine kills and three blocks.
Down by as many as eight points in set one, the Red Hawks rallied to tie the Express 22-22 before Owens won the final three points, claiming the set 25-22 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
After CVCC tied the match with a thrilling 26-24 victory in set two, Owens gained an early five-point advantage in set three and held off a late charge by the Red Hawks to win set three, 25-19.
Catawba Valley would answer back, going ahead 10-4 in the fourth set. However, the Express rallied late, winning seven-straight points to go ahead for good in the set, winning it 25-18 and the match 3-1.
No. 17 CVCC 3, St. Clair County (Mich.) 2
Rallying from down 2-1, the Red Hawks earned a thrilling five-set victory against the Skippers in their final match of the Valley Invitational.
After losing a heartbreaking first set 26-24 to St. Clair, Catawba Valley tied the match with a 25-18 win in set two.
However, the Skippers would claim set three 25-18, putting the Red Hawks on the brink of defeat.
CVCC would respond in dominant fashion, gaining large leads in sets four and five before winning them both — 25-11 and 15-9.
Freshman Adair Melton led CVCC (17-5) in the match with 13 kills, while sophomore Leslie Leonard added 10 kills.
The Red Hawks return to action on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Hanceville, Ala. to compete in the Wallace State Fall Bash.
