Rocky Mount, NC. — North Carolina Wesleyan battled Methodist University through five intense sets Wednesday evening inside Everett Gymnasium in USA South Conference action.
The Battling Bishops came out strong and claimed the opening set 25-22 before Methodist answered with a 25-21 win in the second. Wesleyan responded once again in the third, battling through 10 ties and three lead changes before taking the frame 25-23 to grab a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Methodist forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 victory in the fourth. The final frame turned into a back-and-forth battle featuring 16 ties and seven lead changes before the Monarchs narrowly came away with a 22-20 win to take the match 3-2. Across the five sets, the match featured 40 ties and 19 lead changes.
Kendall Gleason led the Wesleyan attack with 13 kills, while Ashley Hinton added 12 and Sadie Schramm finished with 11. Brooklynn Covic contributed 10 kills, and Caroline York added six.
The Bishops also received strong production from their setters, with Emilee Wilson recording 25 assists and Kinsey Peel adding 22. Wilson also contributed seven digs and a service ace, while Peel added six digs and two kills.
Defensively, Jadyn Smith led Wesleyan with 21 digs, while Hinton added 17 and Brooke Mandozzi finished with 13. The Bishops totaled 78 digs and eight service aces in the match.
Wesleyan also made a major impact at the net, finishing with 10 solo blocks and four block assists. York led the way with four solo blocks, while Gleason added three and Covic, Schramm and Peel each recorded one.
