MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The University of West Alabama Volleyball team closed out the Bobcat Classic with a 3-1 loss to Carson Newman and a 3-2 win over Southern Wesleyan on Saturday.
23 attack errors hurt West Alabama (3-1) in their opening match against Carson Newman (4-0) while the quartet of Jazlyn Snow, Klara Bobanova, Duru Seber, and Rachele Zanini led the Tigers to their 3-2 win over Southern Wesleyan (2-2).
MATCH ONE: CNU 3, UWA 1
West Alabama raced out to a 6-1 lead in the first set before Carson Newman found their groove. Led by Addie Smith, the Eagles took control of the game after a slow start. Midway through, CNU took a 15-12 lead over UWA. Kills from Ola Winiarek and a block from Seber kept West Alabama competitive in the set but ultimately fell, 25-18.
The Tigers struggled to find their rhythm in the second set as the Eagles took an early lead. UWA's offense couldn't get into gear in the set as they fell, 25-19.
Needing to win the next three sets, West Alabama fell behind, 9-4, to begin the third set, forcing head coach Ed Allen to burn one of his timeout. The Tigers greatly needed a spark and got one from Katerina Korre. A kill from Korre ignited a 7-1 UWA to tie the game at 13. After the Tigers' run, the teams trading points, leveling the score at 20. West Alabama edged Carson Newman in the race to five, with Bobanova winning the set for UWA with a kill.
The Eagles won the race to 10 in the fourth set as they put the Tigers behind 10-6 to begin. Winiarek and Bobanova provided a jolt for West Alabama's offense as the duo carried a 9-5 run to make it a one-point game at the media timeout. After the media timeout, Carson Newman began to pull away from West Alabama and went on to take the set, 25-20.
MATCH TWO: UWA 3, SWU 2
The first set was a back-and-forth affair to begin, with kills from Seber and Bobanova knotting the score at 12. Kentucky Wesleyan used a 6-1 run to create a bit of seperation, putting the Tigers behind 18-13 and forcing Coach Allen to burn a timeout. UWA responded out of the break as they rattled off three straight points to make it a two-point game until SWU threw their counterpunch. The Warriors went on a 7-3 win to close out the set, 25-19.
After dropping the first set, West Alabama dominated the second. The Tigers put down 10 kills on a .346 hitting percentage but the serving brilliance of Rachele Zanini highlighted the set. Already leading 16-11, Zanini rolled off three consecutive service aces that ultimately put the set out of reach.  Kills from Cadence Goeden and Jazlyn Snow put a stamp on an emphatic, 25-15, set win.
The Tigers won the race to 10 in the third set as Zanini executed a perfect setter dump to give UWA a 10-7 lead. Moments later, kills from Korre, Zanini, Goeden, and Bobanova catapulted West Alabama to a 16-11 advantage. The Tigers kept their foot firmly on the gas pedal as Bobanova racked up three more kills in the set to lead UWA to a 25-21 set win.
Set four was competitive from start to finish, with Southern Wesleyan edging West Alabama to the race to 10. A kill and a block from Seber tied the game at 12 before SWU rattled off four straight points to gain some cushion. The Tigers responded by taking three of the next four points but could never tie or regain the lead in the set. Kills from Sarah Mitchell and Elise Fulgham won the set for the Warriors, 25-21.Â
In a winner take all fifth set, UWA raced out to a 4-1 lead behind kills from Korre, Zanini, and Bobanova. West Alabama continued to keep the pressure on and took a commanding 7-2 lead. With their backs against the wall, Southern Wesleyan responded. The Warriors used a 6-1 run to knot the score at eight before three straight points from the Tigers snapped the SWU's momentum. Now leading 11-8, UWA closed out the set with a kill from Bobanova ending the contest.
Snow led the charge with 15 kills while Bobanova and Seber followed closely behind with 13 and 12, respectively. Zanini dished out 38 assists along with four services aces while Bailey Keef anchored the backline with 20 digs.
UWA will be back in action next weekend at the Reddie Tiger Invitational which is set to begin on Friday in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
