Briar Cliff volleyball took the court for the first time this fall Thursday night and notched a thrilling 3-2 (25-20, 25-27, 19-25, 25-22, 15-8) win over Mayville State at the Newman Flanagan Center.
Chloe Johnson and
Abbie Ericson both recorded career-high kill totals to lead the Cliff to a 1-0 start.
Johnson put down 19 kills across five sets, four more than her previous best of 15. Ericson's 18 K's were the second best for the Cliff.
"Abbie and Chloe came up big for us and got us out of a lot of situations where we just needed to get a point on the board," said head coach
Lindsey Weatherford. "They showed what they are capable of and we look forward to seeing them all season long."
BC jumped out to a 7-3 lead in game five and never looked back, cruising to the 15-8 win in the final set. In the Chargers' final five points of the night,
Toria Andre recorded a solo block and
Tannah Heath had a service ace.
The Cliff took game one from Mayville State and looked ready to take set two with a 22-19 lead but allowed four straight points to trail 23-22. The Chargers battled to force extra points but fell 27-25. The Comets also won set three, but BC managed to force a fifth set with a strong performance in set four.
Three Chargers posted double digit digs on the night, led by freshman
Abbey Jones with 12.
"
Abbey Jones and
Jo Sadler provided outstanding defense for us, which allowed our hitters to come up big," added Weatherford.
Sadler provided 11 digs and Madi Wagaman had 10. Wagaman was strong from the service line with three ace serves. As a team, the Chargers had seven aces.
"I am so happy to have this first match under our belt," said head coach
Lindsey Weatherford. "The team really stuck together and fought all night long. That was the difference maker for our girls tonight."
Ericson and
Sami Wasmund had three kills each.
The Chargers will return to the Newman Flanagan Center Friday and Saturday for the Charger Invite.
#BattleOn