Emmanuel, UNC Pembroke Advance to Semifinals of 2023 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship
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NORTH CHARLESTON S.C.– Third-seeded Emmanuel and Fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship on Friday night inside the North Charleston Athletic Center.
The Braves will face top-seeded Mount Olive in the first semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. followed by No. 2 North Greenville taking on the Lions in the second semifinal scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
UNC Pembroke (20-13) won the opening quarterfinal contest, 3-1 (18-25, 25-7, 25-18, 25-20), over fifth-seeded Francis Marion (16-16). In the first set, the Patriots scored the first point and, after a UNCP rally tied the match at seven, a Madilyn Gartner kill sparked a 3-0 FMU run and they never looked back in the 25-18 win. In set two, the Braves raced out to a 7-1 advantage and scored nine of the final 10 points in the set for the 25-7 victory to even the match. UNC Pembroke built a 4-0 lead to begin the third set, but Francis Marion battled to tie the score at 16. The Braves closed the set on a 9-2 run to take a 2-1 lead. It was a back and forth final set that saw several ties and lead changes, but a Ruby Countryman kill for UNCP broke a tie at 18 and sparked a 7-2 rally to seal the win for the Braves.
Three Braves finished with double-digit kills led by Vanja Przulj who had a double-double with 17 kills and 15 digs. Katie Pressley paced the offense with 45 assists and also had 12 digs. Gartner led the Patriots with 11 kills in the season-ending defeat.
In the second match of the night, Emmanuel (20-10) defeated sixth-seeded Lees-McRae (15-11) 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 26-24, 25-21). The Lions led by as many as seven points, 17-10, in the opening set, but the Bobcats battled back to make it a one point contest, 24-23, before an Ellie Jackson kill gave Emmanuel the win. In set two it was Lees-McRae who built a large early lead and never looked back en route to a 25-18 win. The Bobcats again roared out to a large lead in set three, 11-3, but a six-point Lion rally put the higher seed in front, 14-13. Lees-McRae withstood two set points, but the third time was the charm for Emmanuel who earned a hard fought, 26-24, win to take the 2-1 lead in the match. The Lions once again had a seven-point advantage in the fourth set, 21-14, but five consecutive points by the Bobcats made it a two-point game. The Bobcats again withstood a set point, but an Emmanuel block sealed the match win.
Alaina Emminger and Emily Hanson led the attack for the Lions with 17 and 16 kills, respectively, while Hanson added four blocks and Emminger tallied three. Gabrielle McGlamery dished out 48 assists while Asia Queen led the back row with 18 digs. Sydney Stigler recorded a double-double to lead Lees-McRae in the season-ending loss with 17 kills and 11 digs.
Fans can watch every match of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and Hudl TV at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and the North Charleston Athletic Center are available
here.
2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball Championship
First Round – Saturday, November 11 & Sunday, November 12 (Nos. 4, 5 & 6 Host)
#7 Converse 3, #12 Belmont Abbey 0 (Box Score)
#11 Barton 3, #8 Young Harris 2 (Box Score)
#10 King 3, #9 Chowan 1 (Box Score)
Second Round - Saturday, November 11 & Sunday, November 12 (Higher Seed Hosts)
#4 UNC Pembroke 3, #10 King 0 (Box Score)
#5 Francis Marion 3, #11 Barton 2 (Box Score)
#6 Lees-McRae 3, #7 Converse 0 (Box Score)
Quarterfinals – Friday, November 17 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
#4 UNC Pembroke 3, #5 Francis Marion 1 (Box Score)
#3 Emmanuel 3, #6 Lees-McRae 1 (Box Score)
Semifinals – Saturday, November 18 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
#4 UNC Pembroke vs. #1 Mount Olive, 5:00 p.m.
#3 Emmanuel vs. #2 North Greenville, 7:30 p.m.
Final – Sunday, November 19 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2, 3 p.m.