MIDWAY, Kentucky - The Wilmington College volleyball team won its first match of the 2022 season on Wednesday, sweeping Asbury University 25-16, 25-19, 25-12 in the first of two matches at Midway University. In the nightcap, the hosts defeated the Fightin' Quakers 25-15, 25-12, 25-22.
In the victory over Asbury, Wilmington came out swinging right from the start, putting down 14 kills on 30 swings with just four errors for a .333 attack percentage. Set two proved to be the closest, but Trinity VanDusen stepped up to serve with the Quakers trailing 5-3. The sophomore from Zanesville, Ohio, served eight straight times (not even an Asbury timeout could stop the run) to put the Quakers up 11-6. The Eagles would win 6-of-7 points to tie the set 12-12, but kills from Joy Bebe spurred a WC run that put the Quakers up 19-14 and forcing another Asbury timeout. Wilmington would see its lead trimmed to a single point (19-18), but VanDusen and Sofia Thomas served out the set.
VanDusen and Thomas serving would prove to be a perfect segue into the third set. Asbury took a 5-2 lead, but the Quaker duo alongside Macee Hamilton all had lengthy service runs put the set away and earned WC its first win of the young season.
In total, Wilmington hit a .231 clip for the match with Thomas leading the way with 13 kills on 31 swings. Lili Green, Bebe and Bailey Pohlman all tallied at least five kills while setter Andie Dolven assisted on 29 of the team's 36 kills. Libero Blake O'Brien added 17 digs while Bebe and Pohlman both had five blocks. Asbury, which hit a .018 attack percentage, was led by Emily Janszen with a dozen kills.
In the loss to Midway, the Quakers hit a negative attack percentage for the match overall and struggled to find any offensive rhythm. The hosts, on the other hand, hit a blistering .353 clip for the match and were led by Anju Sugiya and Abry Koester who combined for 23 of the team's 42 kills. Victoria Long led WC with hight kills and a .300 hitting percentage.
Wilmington will head to Memphis, Tennessee, and Rhodes College for four matches over the weekend.
