Skipper Equals School Record for Kills in a Five-Game Match as W&M Falls to LU, 3-2

09/15/07 4:00PM

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Freshman Erin Skipper equaled a school record for kills in a five-game match (30), but the William and Mary volleyball team fell to Liberty, 3-2 (32-30, 25-30, 25-30, 30-27, 15-10), at the Villanova Classic on Saturday afternoon.

Skipper’s 30 put-aways equaled the school mark established by current Tribe player Abbi Owens and former standout Heidi Erpelding. The single-match school record is held by Erpelding, who registered 32 kills in a four-game match during the 1988 season. Skipper posted a .319 hitting percentage (30-7-72) and also totaled 11 digs to finish with a double-double.

The Tribe (4-7) also got an outstanding effort from freshman Cassie Crumal, who dished out a career-high 66 assists to go along with 14 digs. Sophomore Jillian Brown tallied 17 kills on .333 hitting (17-4-39), while classmate Lauren Powell had 14 put-aways. Freshman Ginny Bray led the College at the net with eight total blocks and also contributed seven kills.

The initial game was incredibly competitive, as the squads found themselves tied on 20 occasions. Liberty earned the biggest lead of the set when it went ahead by four, 10-6, but the Tribe quickly rallied back to take a 16-14 lead following a kill by Skipper. After battling back and forth, the College reclaimed a two-point advantage, 28-26, after a put-away by Brown. However, the LU scored the next three points and eventually won the game by a narrow margin. Crumal had 16 assists in the frame, while Skipper and Brown each totaled six kills apiece.

W&M scored the first five points in the second game, but the Flames responded with four consecutive scores. The Green and Gold answered the charge, however, and eventually extended its lead to as many as six points, 19-13. Liberty cut the gap to just two late in the set, 27-25, but the Tribe tallied the final three points. Skipper totaled seven kills in the game on a .636 hitting percentage (7-0-11).

After falling behind by two, 6-4, early in the third set, W&M charged back and gradually built a six point lead, 18-12, following a Liberty attack error. While the Flames cut the advantage to just one, 24-23, the Tribe never relinquished the lead and earned the five-point game three victory.

The action was tightly contested during the fourth game until about midway through, as the College utilized an 8-2 run to take a 24-17 advantage. LU battled back, however, and scored 11 of the next 13 points to charge ahead and eventually claim the fourth game. Crumal recorded 18 assists in the set, while Skipper totaled nine kills.

While the score was knotted at 7-7 in the fifth game following an ace by junior Jill Nowadly, LU broke the frame open with three straight points. The Tribe cut the lead to just two at 12-10, but the Flames registered the final three points to complete the comeback victory.

The Tribe will return to action again Saturday evening when it takes on Villanova at 7:30 p.m. in the event’s final contest.

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