W&M Opens CAA Action with a 3-0 Victory at UNCW

09/21/07 10:00PM

WILMINGTON, N.C. - The William and Mary volleyball team opened its conference slate with a 3-0 (30-26, 30-26, 35-33) victory at UNC Wilmington on Friday evening.

Junior Kim Mount led the Tribe (6-8, 1-1) with 53 assists, nearly equaling the school record for assists in a three-game match (56). Freshman Erin Skipper totaled a team-high 16 kills on .333 hitting (16-2-42), while classmate Ginny Bray finished with 15 put-aways on a .296 hitting percentage (15-7-27). Sophomore Jillian Brown also came up big with 12 kills on .476 hitting (12-2-21), and classmate Lauren Powell tallied 11 put-aways on a .450 attack percentage (11-2-20). Sophomore Lindsey Pflugner was solid defensively, recording a season-high 18 digs.

As a team, the College posted a .317 hitting percentage (65-19-145).

The initial frame was tightly contested early, but the Seahawks (6-9, 0-1) gradually pulled ahead by four, 13-9. UNCW still held a four-point advantage late in the set, 19-15, but the Green and Gold rallied back to tied the score with a 7-2 run. Shortly thereafter, the Tribe closed out the match with a 6-2 spurt. Skipper led W&M with seven kills in the opening game, while Brown totaled six. Mount dished out 20 assists, and Pflugner provided nine digs.

Ahead by just two, 9-7, early in the second game, the Tribe utilized a 5-1 run to charge ahead by six. While the College maintained a five-point cushion, 26-21, late in the frame, the Seahawks rattled off three consecutive points to narrow the margin to just two. However, W&M answered the rally with back-to-back points and went on to the four-point win. The Tribe hit .310 (17-4-42) as a team in the second set.

Despite trailing by five, 17-12, midway through the third game, the Green and Gold charged back to even the count by recording six of the next seven points. While the score remained close down the stretch, the Seahawks led 29-27 late in the frame. W&M answered with two straight points, however, and closed out the game and the match soon afterwards with consecutive points by Bray in the form of a kill and service ace. Mount dished out 19 assists in the final set, while Bray totaled eight kills on .545 hitting (8-2-11). As a team, W&M registered a .365 attack percentage (25-6-52).

The Tribe will return to action again when it plays at Georgia State on Saturday at 7 p.m.

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