Alice Lloyd Volleyball Earns Weekend Split in NCCAA Action

Pippa Passes, KY: On Saturday, October 28th, the Alice Lloyd Lady Eagles volleyball team hosted two NCCAA opponents, the Boyce College Bulldogs and the Appalachian Bible College Warriors, in a doubleheader. The hosts dropped a tough 5-set decision in the opener, but followed with a hard earned, straight-set sweep in the second contest.

Game 1

ALC-2; Boyce-3

In set 1, the Lady Eagles jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead, only to see the Bulldogs come back to go ahead, 10-9. Later, clinging to a 15-14 lead, BC promptly unloaded a 10-2 blitz to pull away and take the game, 25-16.

In set 2, the two squads played well and basically traded shots from the start. Late in the game, the Caney Creek crew was nursing a 18-17 lead when the Lady Bulldogs closed with a flurry to earn the win, 25-20.

In set 3, the hometown ladies would either win or fall in straight sets. The Pippa Passes posse came out determined to bounce back and promptly ran out to a 14-6 lead. BC refused to go away and clawed there way to a 20-20 tie. Fortunately, the hosts would use a couple of kills plus some big errors by Boyce to take the game, 25-22.

In set 4, sparked by the game three win, ALC looked to capitalize. The blue and white battled intently, but found themselves on the short end of a 19-15 score. From that point, the home team would ride 3 consecutive kills from TK Ellis plus 2 more from Kyleah Ward to mount a furious rally. Eventually, when BC committed an error on the final play, the hosts had grabbed the 25-23 win, and forced a decisive fifth game.

In the do-or-die set, the squads both demonstrated how badly they wanted the match as the kills were dished out on both ends. Late in the game, with the Lady Eagles holding a 12-10 advantage, Boyce used 3 crucial ALC errors and 2 kills to overcome the deficit and take the tough victory, 15-12.

For the contest, the big city squad would hold a 58-42 advantage in kills, and 56-42 lead in assists. Individually for Alice Lloyd (2-25), Kristen Issac and Taylor Hamilton led in assists with 19 and 17 respectively, while Ward (11), Ellis (10) and Brooklyn Cheek (8) provided the kills. Ward also led in blocks, with 6, and Hamilton provided a pair of service aces.

 Game 2

ALC-3; Appalachian Bible-0

The Lady Eagles would finally break through with a solid match and earn the well-deserved victory.

The opening game saw ALC pull out to an early lead and then make the right plays to keep their distance and chalk up a 25-16 win.

In set 2, the two teams played well and battled aggressively in search of the "W". Both clubs traded points in a highly entertaining game that saw ABC eek out to a 20-18 lead, and also lead 23-22. However, the Lady Eagles utilized kills from Cheek, Ellis, and Tianna Wesley to give their squad a 26-25 lead. When ABC committed an attack error on the next serve, they would hand the hosts a 27-25 win.

In set 3, the East Kentucky squad was determined not to go to a fourth set, and they jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead.  The big city club was just as determined not to go down in straight sets, and they promptly rolled off a 14-8 burst to pull ahead, 17-14. Once again, ALC dug deep. They would take advantage of several key errors by the Warriors and roar back with a 11-3 blitz to seal the deal on the victory, 25-20.

On the day, the victors would produce 38 kills compared to their opponents 30, and win in assists, 35-30. They also delivered a 6-3 advantage in aces. Individually, for the hosts (3-25), Isaac and Hamilton led ALC in assists with 15 and 13, while Ward and Cheek both delivered 10 kills apiece. Caroline Parsons and Ellis both hit double figures in digs with 19 and 11. Gracie Gibson provided 3 service aces.

The squad returns to RSC action on Tuesday, October 31^st for the final home game of the year. The opponent is Shawnee State University, and gametime is set for 7:00.