BREVARD, N.C. - Senior middle-hitter Raley Shirey drove home a career-high 11 kills to help lead the Brevard College volleyball team (1-0, 1-0 USAS) to a season-opening victory, 3-0, over Agnes Scott College (0-1, 0-1 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
Shirey, a senior from Forsyth County, Georgia, tallied 11 kills on 19 total attacks for a .526 kill percentage that led the Tornado offensive effort. Freshman Makenna Parkins added six kills in her Tornado volleyball debut, while Sarah Hutchens recorded five kills.
Kaitlyn Pressley, a local from Brevard and a graduate of Brevard High School, dished out 15 assists while also adding nine digs and three kills in an all-around performance for her Tornado debut. Returning sophomore Grace Pukas added eight assists, while freshman Caitlin Hagarty posted a game-high 15 digs in her first collegiate contest.
Agnes Scott was led by Tiara White's seven kills alongside Ariel Henderson's 18-assist, nine-dig performance and Carmen Ross's 12-dig effort.
Brevard was able to jump out to an early lead in the first set, taking a 7-1 advantage following a Brook Groves kill. Agnes Scott chipped away at the Tornado lead, eventually tying the set at 10-10.
The contentious first set continued as the Scotties tied the score twice more as well as taking a pair of one-score leads before taking a two-point, 18-16 advantage. BC was able to regain its lead, 20-19, after a Pukas service ace.
With the score at 22-22, the Tornados used back-to-back Shirey kills and an attack error to clinch victory in set number one, 25-22.
Both sides played tightly through the first 20 points in the second set before the Tornados used an 8-2 scoring stretch to hold the lead, 18-12. Following a trio of Scottie points, Brevard rallied off a 7-1 run to take the second set, 25-16.
Parkins came to life in set number three, driving home a trio of kills alongside a pair of Shirey service aces that helped the Tornados extend an early lead in the third frame, 13-4. Brevard remained in control from there, cruising to the 10-point, 25-15 win in the third set to wrap up its sweep of Agnes Scott, 3-0.
The Tornados are scheduled to return to action next Saturday, March 13 in Montgomery, Alabama when Brevard faces Huntingdon College in a doubleheader. BC will play in a conference match at 1 p.m. prior to a non-conference contest scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
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