HICKORY, N.C. — The second-ranked Catawba Valley Community College volleyball program passed its toughest test so far of the 2020-21 season on Saturday, fighting off No. 20 ranked Sandhills for a 3-1 conference victory at the Tarlton Complex.
Set scores were 25-18, 25-22, 12-25 and 26-25.
With the win, CVCC improves to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Region 10 play.
CVCC was without two of its leading hitters in the contest — outside hitter Aasia McNeill and right side Saniya Harris. Despite those absences, Catawba Valley was able to extend its Region 10 unbeaten streak to 186 straight matches and conference unbeaten mark to 148 in a row.
The Flyers won the first five points of the first set of Saturday's Region 10 contest, but the Red Hawks worked their way back to win 15 of the next 22 points to take the lead for good in the set.
Trailing once again in set two, CVCC overcame a 19-15 deficit late in the win by winning seven-straight points to grab a 2-0 lead in the contest.
Facing a must-win situation, Sandhills (13-2, 9-1 in Region 10) would capitalize in set three, going up 10-3 early before claiming a dominant set three victory.
Battling back and forth in a pivotal fourth set, CVCC would hold on for a 26-24 victory in the set, claiming the first ranked win for first-year head coach Madison Pogue.
The second-ranked CVCC volleyball program returns to action on Monday for a home contest against Surry Community College. Match time is set for 5 p.m. at the Tarlton Complex.
