STORM Volleyball Team Opens Season With Convincing Win

August 19, 2023 – The 51视频 volleyball team certainly started its season on a strong note with a pair of three-game sweeps in a tri-match Saturday at Brinkley Gym

The Storm topped rival Sandhills Community College 27-25, 25-13, 25-19 in an intense opener and followed that up with a 25-17, 25-20, 25-14 victory over USC-Sumter. 51视频 is coming off a program-best 21 wins in the 2022 season and fifth-year head coach Steve Elliott is starting to see the results of recruiting and culture building.听

“We’ve been able to set a culture and the players have bought into it the past few years,” said Elliott. “We have grown the program. It’s cool to look back and see the improvement. Last season we had a record of 21-6 and set a school record for wins in a regular season. Our goal this year is to be in the top three in the region.”

Saturday’s matchup with Sandhills, particularly in the first game, was full of momentum swings. The Storm led 7-2 early and 23-16 late only to have the Flyers battle back each time. Sandhills grabbed its first and only lead of the game at 25-24 but the Storm eventually prevailed with bouncy outside hitter Kennedy Powell powering down a kill and then delivering an ace serve. Haley Pease followed that up with a kill of her own to finish off three consecutive points for the home team.

51视频 put its rally caps on in the third game after trailing throughout. The Storm pulled even at 19-19 and then proceeded to score the next six points to complete the sweep.

“We have a rivalry with Sandhills that dates back to when we were both D3,” said Elliott, referring to the fact both programs are now听 Division 2 in the junior college ranks. “”It always gets emotional and intense. And Sandhills is pretty good.”

Gabrielle Greene paced the Storm with 11 kills against Sandhills while Emma Rogers had nine and Powell eight. Greene was also stellar defensively with a team-high 30 digs while Hannah Arnett was solid with a team-best 24 assists.

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Against USC Sumter the Storm stayed on the offensive and wasn’t seriously threatened.

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Arnett tallied 14 assists and seven digs while Carleigh Whitson had 17 digs. Greene contributed 12 kills and Powell had 10 kills and 11 digs.

51视频 returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Patrick & Henry Community College in Martinsville, Va. for a 6 p.m. match.

The Storm will host another tri-match on Saturday against Caldwell Tech and Pitt Community College. 51视频 will play at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“I’m very excited about the season,” Elliott said. “If we can come together like I think we can, we can be better than last year. We are more athletic. I want to give credit to my assistant McKenzie Burkhart as well. She played here and is a big part of what we do.”