The Charger women's volleyball team wrapped up the William Penn Tournament with another pair of sweeps Saturday morning, defeating Culver-Stockton 3-0 before getting the sweep over Graceland 3-0. With the two victories, Briar Cliff improved to 9-3 overall and finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
Game 1 vs. Culver-Stockton – W, 3-0
Briar Cliff opened the day with a 25-15, 25-22, 25-16 sweep of the Culver-Stockton Wildcats.
The Chargers battled through a back-and-forth opening set before taking control. After Culver-Stockton jumped out to a 9-6 lead, BCU responded with a 9-0 run to take a 15-10 advantage. The Chargers continued to build their lead and closed the set 25-15.
The second set saw Briar Cliff again overcome an early deficit. After trailing 6-2, the Chargers worked their way back and eventually took control, using a strong stretch late in the set to secure the 25-22 victory.
Briar Cliff came out firing in the third set, opening with a 6-0 run. The Wildcats attempted to fight back, but the Chargers maintained their advantage and finished off the sweep, 25-16.
Emma Brenelli led the Chargers with nine kills, while
Alexis Even added eight.
Aubrey Hoeft contributed four kills and a team-high 10.0 points behind two solo blocks and eight block assists.
Mia Torchia recorded 15 assists, while
Reese Strouth added eight.
Ireland Jackson led the defensive effort with 12 digs, and the Chargers finished with 46 digs and 20 total blocks.
Game 2 vs. Graceland – W, 3-0
The Chargers closed the tournament with a 25-19, 25-14, 25-12 sweep of the Graceland Yellowjackets.
Briar Cliff battled through a competitive opening set before pulling away late. The Yellowjackets stayed within striking distance at 14-19, but the Chargers closed the set on a 6-1 run to take the opener, 25-19.
The second set belonged to the Chargers from the start. BCU opened with a 10-0 run and never looked back, taking a commanding 25-14 victory.
Briar Cliff carried that momentum into the third set, building an early lead before closing out the match 25-12.
Aliyah Basham paced the Chargers with five kills while hitting .625. Hoeft added five kills, and Even finished with five kills while hitting .556.
Torchia continued to direct the Charger offense with 19 assists, while the team finished with 32 kills, 29 assists and a .379 hitting percentage.
Briar Cliff returns to action Wednesday, September 9, heading to Forest City, Iowa to take on the Waldorf Warriors in a GPAC match-up. First serve is set for 7:30 pm.
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