Carrollton, GA - A powerful showing in the third set by the UWG volleyball squad on Friday propelled the Wolves to a 3-1 victory over North Alabama at The Coliseum in the 2013 Gulf South Conference opening match for each squad.
The win was the third straight for West Georgia over the GSC powerhouse program. Last season, the Wolves swept the season series for the first time in the series history. Friday night, UWG took that a step further, beating UNA three straight times for the first time in school history.
In the opening set, the two teams exchanged the lead back-and-forth for the first half of the set until the frame was tied 13-13. A UNA attack error put UWG senior #
Emily Reul# on the serving line. Reul stayed on serve for seven straight points, putting the Wolves ahead 20-13. But North Alabama came roaring back, pulling within a point at 21-20 before UWG outscored the Lions 4-3 to take a 25-23 victory and a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, the Lions took control early, opening up a 13-7 lead. UNA cruised for the remainder of the set, tying the match a 1-1 with a 25-20 victory.
In the third set, the Wolves hit .415 as a team, jumping out to an 18-9 lead in the early part of the game. Head coach Gary Lee and his squad kept things rolling and took a 2-1 lead with a commanding 25-17 victory. In the final set, the Wolves kept UNA at bay and led by 2-3 points for much of the set. West Georgia won the final four points and #
Amanda Miles# put away the final kill to give the Wolves a 25-19 win.
Reul led the way with 16 kills on the night with just two attack errors. Middle hitter #
Lesley Bemis# was also on fire, belting 14 kills with one error for a .542 hitting percentage in the match. On the back line, #
Melissa Holt# led the way with 21 digs, followed by #
Drea Matthews# with 10.
Reul has now had double-digit kills in every match this season and tonight completed her sixth double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs. Junior setter #
Amanda Miller# paved the way for the Wolves to hit .288 as a team with 47 assists on the night.
West Georgia now turns around to play Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. start time.
