Tribe Earns Two Victories in Day One of Crowne Plaza Classic

W&M Defeated Stony Brook and Norfolk State

09/01/06 11:45PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary volleyball team earned two triumphs in the first day of the Crowne Plaza Classic, defeating Norfolk State, 3-0 (30-15, 30-13, 30-18), and Stony Brook, 3-2 (30-23, 28-30, 30-17, 19-30, 15-11).

Against the Spartans, the Tribe looked impressive both offensively and defensively, posting a .356 hitting percentage while holding the opposition to just a -.011 mark. Individually, freshman Lindsey Pflugner recorded 10 kills and seven digs, while senior Kathleen Hawley totaled a match-high 15 digs. Also aiding the effort were sophomore setter Kim Mount, who dished out a match-best 34 assists, and freshman outside hitter Lauren Powell, who notched six kills on .417 hitting.

In the opening game, W&M fell behind early, 3-6. However, it did not take long for the College to even the count at nine. Shortly thereafter, the Tribe rattled off a 16-3 run to put the frame away for the convincing game one margin.

Neither team was able to pull away early in the second game as well. But, as it did in the opening stanza, the Tribe put together an impressive run, this time in the form of a 19-5 streak, to go ahead 25-10 en route to taking game two. In the second game, Pflugner totaled five kills on .571 hitting (5-1-7), while Mount contributed 12 assists.

In the third and final frame, the Tribe quickly jumped ahead 5-0. While NSU answered and cut the margin to just one at 11-10, the Green and Gold scored eight of the next 10 points to pull away for the triumph.

Against the Seawolves, W&M got an outstanding effort from Pflugner, who totaled a career-high 24 kills and a .316 hitting percentage (24-6-57). Powell also came up big as she recorded 18 put-aways, while Mount handed out 54 assists. Hawley was solid defensively, posting a match-high 15 digs.

In the first game, the Tribe got off to a good start early, going ahead 10-5 following an ace by freshman Bryana Carey. Still up by five at 20-15, Stony Brook answered by scoring four of the next five points to narrow the margin to two. After closing the gap to just one at 24-23, W&M closed out the opening game with a 6-0 run.

After dropping the second game by just two points, the Tribe rebounded in the third set. Midway through the game, W&M utilized a 15-4 run to go ahead 25-11 en route to claiming the third game convincingly.

While the College did not close out the match in the fourth game, it used inspired play and a pair of outstanding digs by Pflugner and sophomore Jo Sotto to pull out the victory in the fifth frame.

The Tribe will be in action again when it faces St. John’s on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. W&M will conclude play at the Classic versus Air Force at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be held at Kaplan Arena at William and Mary Hall.

For all the results from the Classic, please click here.