Emmanuel, UNC Pembroke Advance to 2023 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship Final
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NORTH CHARLESTON S.C.– The 2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball Championship final will be a rematch of the 2022 championship as third-seeded Emmanuel and fourth-seeded UNC Pembroke each earned semifinal victories on Saturday night at the North Charleston Athletic Center.
The Lions are making their fourth championship game appearance in the past six seasons while the Braves are making their second in three seasons since rejoining Conference Carolinas in 2021. The championship final is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19.
The first semifinal, a five-set thriller that featured 20 ties and nine lead changes, saw UNC Pembroke upset top-seeded Mount Olive, 3-2 (25-21, 25-17, 19-25, 21-25, 15-13). In set one it was the Trojans (20-11) who jumped out to a 4-0 lead but the Braves (21-13) scored eight of the next nine points and never trailed again in a 25-21 victory. In the second set, UNCP raced out to an 8-3 lead only to see UMO battle back to go ahead 10-8. The Trojans remained in front until the Braves’ Kyleigh Coghlan served seven straight points. UNC Pembroke scored 11 of the final 12 points for the 25-17 win. The third set featured a match-high eight ties and three lead changes with the last coming when a service error gave the Trojans a 15-14 lead. UMO scored eight of the next nine points en route to a 25-19 win. The Braves were in control of the fourth set, 17-13, before a Kaitlyn Landis kill sparked a 10-1 rally for Mount Olive to propel the top seed to a 25-21 win to even the match. The decisive fifth set had five ties, the last coming at 13 on a Mount Olive block. UNCP responded with a Vanja Przulj kill and the Braves’ senior collected a service ace to end the match.
Przulj finished with a match-high 22 kills and a team-best 26 digs. Abby Peduzzi also had a double-double for UNCP with 16 kills and 12 digs while Katie Pressley paced the offense with 51 assists and 15 digs. Ashlyn Stone led the Trojans with 16 kills while Landis finished with 15 in the season-ending loss for Mount Olive.
Emmanuel booked its ticket to the championship final with a 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20) win over second-seeded North Greenville in a match that featured 31 ties and 12 lead changes. It was a thrilling first set that saw the teams tie nine times with six lead changes. The Lions (21-10) opened with three straight points and the Crusaders (23-7) responded with four-in-a-row to take the lead. The teams traded points until an 8-1 run for Emmanuel turned a 16-15 deficit into a 23-17 lead in a 25-20 victory. In set two, the Crusaders scored first and never trailed en route to evening the match with a 25-17 win. Eight ties and three lead changes highlighted the third set with the last tie coming at 14. A Layla Bland kill gave EU the lead and sparked an 8-2 rally as the Lions took the set, 25-19. The Lions roared to a 10-5 advantage in the fourth set before the Crusaders clawed back and led 18-16. Three kills and a service ace put Emmanuel back in front, 20-18, and they ever looked back in a match-clinching 25-20 win.
Emily Hanson paced the Lions’ attack with 12 kills and a .526 attack percentage while Cailin Pritchard collected a match-high nine blocks and Gabrielle McGlamery dished out 45 assists. Abigail Durham paced the Crusaders with 12 kills in the season-ending loss.
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 3, #1 Mount Olive 2 (Box Score)
#3 Emmanuel 3, #2 North Greenville 1 (Box Score)
Final – Sunday, November 19 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
#4 UNC Pembroke vs. #3 Emmanuel, 3 p.m.