BREVARD, N.C. – Freshman setter/right-side hitter Kaitlyn Pressley recorded the first triple-double of her collegiate career to help lead the Brevard College volleyball team (2-3, 2-1 USAS) to a 3-1 victory over Piedmont College (3-3, 1-2 USAS) in a USA South Conference match at the Boshamer Gymnasium as part of a doubleheader between the two sides.
BC claimed the front-end of the doubleheader, storming back after falling in the first set to win sets two-through-four by final scores of 25-23, 25-17, 25-21. The two sides then played in a non-conference contest, with the Lions earning a 3-0 sweep in consecutive sets.
Pressley, a local product from Brevard and graduate of Brevard High School, accomplished an impressive triple-double performance for the Tornados in the conference contest. The newcomer led all players with a career-high 16 kills to go alongside new career-best marks with 17 assists and 10 digs to round off the milestone effort. Senior outside hitter Raley Shirey set a new career-high with 14 kills, while Grace Pukas led all Tornados with a 20-assist output in addition to a game-high six service aces. Freshman defensive specialist set a career-mark with 20 digs to anchor BC's defense.
The Tornado offense was led in the second match by eight kills from Shirey and six kills from Pressley, who flirted with a second triple-double by dishing out 10 assists to go alongside seven digs. Junior Morgan Graham led all Tornados with a 14-dig performance, while Hagarty and Pukas each added 13 digs.
Piedmont's Taylor Brown racked up a double-double in the first contest with a game-high 32 assists to go along with 13 digs. A pair of Lions registered double-digit kills, as Brianna King drove home 13 kills alongside Jaclyn Sampson's 10 kills. King led a well-balanced Piedmont attack in the second match, scoring on 11 kills as two Lions reached double-digit assist and dig totals.
The visitors were able to jump out to a quick 7-0 lead, forcing a Brevard timeout in the first set of the conference match. Brevard was able to bring its deficit to within four points at 11-7 before tying the set at 16-16 following a Shirey kill. A 7-0 Piedmont run helped the Lions pull away with the first-set win, 25-19.
Both sides battled back-and-forth through the early stages of the second set before Piedmont established an 18-14 lead. Following a Piedmont service error, Pukas secured consecutive service aces that were followed by back-to-back Pressley kills that gave BC the lead back, 19-18. Two more Pressley kills and a Hagarty service ace brought the Tornados to set point, where the senior Shirey drove home the set-winning point, evening the contest at 1-1.
The Tornados once again used a service run by Pukas to spark a scoring run, as the sophomore from Valrico, Florida served for eight-straight Tornado points to give Brevard a 15-8 lead in set three. BC took care of business from there, as back-to-back Lion attack errors followed by kills from Brook Groves and Pukas gave Brevard a 2-1 match lead after claiming set three, 25-17.
The two conference foes played a tight fourth set, with Brevard maintaining a slight edge throughout. Trailing only once through the deciding set, Brevard used five-consecutive points to extend its lead to a 21-14 margin. Shirey drove home BC's final three kills of the match to secure the conference victory for the Tornados, 3-1.
Just 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match, both sides returned to Chick Martin Court for the back-end of their doubleheader in a non-conference contest.
Piedmont took another early lead, holding a 12-6 margin through the contest's first 18 points. The Lions were able to extend their lead to an 11-point, 20-9 margin, as the visitors wrapped up the first set, 25-17.
A highly-contested second set that featured six ties and four lead changes ensued, with neither side past a five-point margin. With the score knotted up at 19-19, Piedmont secured six out of the next seven points, clinching the second set by a final of 25-20.
BC held to within three points of Piedmont, 13-10, before the Lions up to an eight-point, 20-12 margin that the visitors would not relinquish. PC wrapped up the three-set sweep with a 25-16 victory in the third set over the Tornados.
BC is scheduled to continue its homestand on Sunday when the Tornados meet LaGrange at 3 and 5:30 p.m. The Tornados and Panthers will play in a conference match first before taking part in a three-set exhibition match at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
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