MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Christian Brothers dealt a crippling blow to West Alabama's hopes of post-season volleyball, defeating the Tigers 3-0 in a must-win Gulf South Conference match at Canale Arena on Friday.
With the win, The Buccaneers (16-13, 11-8) clinch the No. 4 seed in the GSC Tournament, while the Tigers (17-16, 9-11) fall to seventh in the league.
West Alabama led 6-3 in the first set before a 7-0 run by Christian Brothers gave the Buccaneers a lead they would not relinquish, propelling CBU to a 1-0 advantage with a 25-17 set victory.
Eight lead changes in set two left UWA and CBU knotted up at 24-24. A CBU attack error gave the Tigers a 25-24 lead before a Mollie Wadsworth kill again leveled the match at 25-25. Two consecutive West Alabama errors gave Christian Brothers the final two points to win the second set 27-25.
After trading points early in set three, UWA built a 15-9 lead before a 10-4 CBU run tied the set at 19-19. The Buccaneers closed out the set with four straight points, defeating the Tigers 25-23 to complete the conference sweep.
Yanesha Johnson earned a double-double in the loss, picking up 10 kills and 14 digs throughout the match.
Jaime Lancellot turned in her second nine-kill performance of the season on a .412 attack percentage.
Taylor Donato grabbed eight kills while
Liz Woodard followed with seven.
Abby Ames emerged a defensive co-leader, totaling 14 digs on the night.
Emma Lenoir led the CBU attack with 12 kills. Jessica Reber picked up nine kills on a .600 hitting percentage, while adding 32 assists to her performance. Blythe Clausen totaled nine digs for the Buccaneers, while Marissa Wong and Reber each finished with seven. Mary Kathryn Miller grabbed eight blocks at the net in the win.
