Winston-Salem, NC. — North Carolina Wesleyan opened Saturday's tri-match with a five-set battle against Salem College at the Athletics Complex, pushing the Spirits to a decisive fifth frame in USA South Conference action.
The Battling Bishops came out strong and claimed the opening set 25-19. After Salem answered with a 25-21 win in the second, Wesleyan responded once again in the third, taking the set 25-20 to grab a 2-1 advantage in the match. Salem forced a fifth set with a 25-20 win in the fourth before closing out the match 15-5 in the deciding frame.
Brooklynn Covic led the Wesleyan attack with 19 kills. Ashley Hinton followed with 13 kills and 20 digs, while Sadie Schramm added 10 kills. Lillian Rafferty contributed six kills, and Kendall Gleason added five.
Emilee Wilson continued to direct the Bishops' offense with 38 assists while adding 15 digs, three kills and a service ace. Jadyn Smith led the defensive effort with a match-high 35 digs and also recorded four service aces. Brooke Mandozzi added 13 digs, while Hinton's 20 helped Wesleyan finish with 96 total digs.
The Bishops also finished with nine service aces and 56 kills, including 15 kills in their third-set victory.
