Tribe Falls at VCU, 3-2

11/02/07 10:35PM

RICHMOND, Va. - The William and Mary volleyball team fell at Virginia Commonwealth University, 3-2 (21-30, 30-24, 31-29, 18-30, 15-13), on Friday evening. W&M is now 13-13 overall and 7-5 in conference play, while the Rams improve to 10-17 overall and 5-7 in league action.

Freshman Ginny Bray led the College with 14 kills on a .464 hitting percentage (14-1-28) and eight block assists. Junior Abbi Owens totaled a team-high 15 kills to go along with 20 digs and finished with a double-double, while freshman Erin Skipper provided 11 put-aways and seven block assists.

The Green and Gold got off to a good start in the initial game by scoring five of the first six points. W&M gradually extended its lead to 18-10 following a VCU ball-handling error. While the Rams closed within four points, 20-16, the Tribe charged ahead with a 5-1 run and cruised to the game-one victory. The College hit .400 as a team (14-0-35) in the first set, while Bray totaled five kills on a .714 attack percentage (5-0-7).

VCU bounced back in the second game and jumped out to a 10-4 lead after a service ace by Cat Juson. The Rams then pulled away shortly thereafter with a 7-0 run to build a comfortable lead. Although the Tribe charged back with a 7-2 run, punctuated with back-to-back service aces by sophomore Lindsey Pflugner, VCU answered the rally and held on for the six-point win.

The Rams jumped out to a 5-1 advantage early in the third frame and maintained the lead midway through the set. However, the Tribe rallied back from a 19-15 deficit with an 8-1 run to take a three-point lead. Neither team was able to pull away down the stretch, but the Rams broke open a 29-29 deadlock by tallying consecutive kills to win the game.

W&M utilized a 7-2 spurt early in the fourth game to go ahead 10-5 following a put-away by Owens. Still in control with a 19-13 lead, the Tribe rattled off another 7-2 run to extend its advantage to double-digits and cruised to the 12-point win.

Things looked good for the Green and Gold early in the fifth game, as it led 9-5 following an ace by Bray. However, after calling a timeout, VCU rallied back with a 4-0 run to tie the score. W&M briefly reclaimed the lead, 11-9, following a VCU attack error, but the Rams scored six of the final eight points, including the final three, to win the game and the match.

The Tribe will close out its regular-season slate next week when it hosts Delaware and Towson.

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