Rocky Mount, NC. — North Carolina Wesleyan celebrated Senior Day in a big way Tuesday afternoon, sweeping Mary Baldwin University in both matches of a USA South doubleheader inside Everett Gymnasium.
The Battling Bishops set the tone in the opening match, earning a 3-0 victory behind set scores of 25-22, 25-15 and 25-17. Wesleyan battled through seven ties and five lead changes in a competitive opening frame before taking control and carrying the momentum through the final two sets.
Brooklynn Covic and Ashley Hinton led the attack with eight kills apiece, while Kendall Gleason added six and Jenna Pilkenton and Kinsey Peel each finished with five. Peel directed the offense with 25 assists and added nine digs, while Pilkenton contributed a solo block and a block assist.
Jadyn Smith anchored the Wesleyan defense with an impressive 30 digs in just three sets. Covic added 13 digs and Brooke Mandozzi collected 10 as the Bishops finished with 73 digs. Wesleyan also made its presence felt from the service line with 11 aces, led by three from Mandozzi and two apiece from Smith, Chloe Baggett and Kylee Heath.
The Bishops carried that momentum directly into the second match and completed the Senior Day sweep with another 3-0 victory. Wesleyan took a pair of tightly contested opening sets by identical 25-23 scores before pulling away for a 25-20 victory in the third to finish the day without dropping a set.
Lillian Rafferty led the offense in game two with eight kills, while Hinton added seven and Pilkenton finished with six. Peel added four kills while directing the offense with 20 assists, and Smith contributed a kill to go along with a team-high 18 digs.
Wesleyan was especially strong at the net in the second match, totaling seven solo blocks and 10 block assists. Caroline York led the effort with three solo blocks and three block assists, while Rafferty recorded two solo blocks and four block assists. Pilkenton and Peel also added solo blocks.
The two victories provided a fitting Senior Day celebration for the Battling Bishops, who earned back-to-back straight-set wins in front of the home crowd and improved to 8-19 overall and 3-14 in USA South play.
