Winston-Salem, N.C. — Blue Mountain Christian University split a pair of matches Saturday at the Carolina Classic, losing a five-set opener to Bryan College before sweeping host Carolina University to finish the tournament 2-1.
BMCU dropped the first match 3-2 to Bryan after trading sets early. The Volley Toppers won the opening set 25-22, lost the second 25-20 and trailed 25-22 in the third. BMCU forced a decisive fifth set by taking the fourth 25-19, but Bryan closed out the match with a 15-12 victory in the final frame.
Marissa Gerleman led BMCU with 17 kills and hit .333 in the loss, adding four solo blocks and a block assist. Salice Speed recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 17 digs. Olivia Domino had 32 assists, and Abbi Williams anchored the back row with a team-high 28 digs. BMCU totaled 55 kills, 50 assists and 78 digs in the match.
Blue Mountain Christian rebounded with a straight-set win over Carolina, taking sets 25-15, 25-18 and 25-18. Valeria Velez led the balanced attack with nine kills and hit .233. Gerleman added eight kills and Mattie Hopper was efficient with six kills on 13 attempts and no attack errors for a .462 hitting percentage. Speed contributed six kills and five aces, Domino dished 28 assists and Williams had 22 digs. BMCU hit .237 as a team and finished with 35 kills, 34 assists and 65 digs.
Gerleman finished the day with 25 kills, Speed had 21 kills and 30 digs, Williams collected 50 digs and Domino totaled 60 assists. BMCU leaves Winston-Salem 2-1 and will travel to Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee for a match on Aug. 25 at 7:00 p.m.
