BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Lawrence Technological University women's volleyball team opened play at the Vette City Classic on Friday, splitting a pair of matches at Ephram White Gym. The Blue Devils dropped a hard-fought four-set decision to Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) before responding with a convincing four-set victory over Union Commonwealth (Ky.) to finish the opening day 1-1.
Lindsey Wilson 3, Lawrence Tech 1
Lawrence Tech opened the day with a battle against Lindsey Wilson, ultimately falling 18-25, 25-22, 28-26, 25-22.
The Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead after taking the opening set 25-18, hitting .273 with 12 kills and just three errors. Lindsey Wilson answered by taking the second set 25-22 before edging LTU in a marathon third set, 28-26. The Blue Raiders then closed out the match with a 25-22 fourth-set victory.
Maria Trevino Nunez led the Blue Devils offensively with 18 kills, while Ella Aberlich added 11 kills and Catelyn Chapin finished with five kills while hitting .444. Kyndal James also contributed five kills and two blocks, while Dru Temple directed the offense with 37 assists.
Emily Hagelthorn anchored the defensive effort with a team-high 22 digs, while Trevino Nunez added 12 digs. LTU finished the match with 75 digs and 10 total blocks.
The Blue Devils had their chances late, including a back-and-forth third set that reached 26-26 before Lindsey Wilson scored the final two points.
Lawrence Tech 3, Union Commonwealth 1
LTU returned to the court later in the afternoon and delivered a strong response, defeating Union Commonwealth 22-25, 25-10, 25-14, 25-13.
After dropping the opening set, the Blue Devils took control of the match, winning the final three sets by double digits. LTU hit .286 in the second set, .195 in the third and an impressive .359 in the fourth while holding Union Commonwealth to a combined .045 hitting percentage for the match.
Trevino Nunez again paced the Blue Devils with 15 kills, hitting .273, while Isabella Meyer recorded 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage. Chapin added nine kills while hitting .381, and Kyndal James finished with nine kills and a .300 attack percentage.
Temple controlled the offense with 39 assists, while Hagelthorn posted another strong defensive performance with 22 digs. Malin added 10 digs, Perkins recorded eight, and Cramer finished with six.
The Blue Devils took control early in the second set and never looked back. After Union Commonwealth held a 5-4 advantage, LTU rattled off a stretch that included kills from James, Miller and Trevino Nunez along with a pair of Trevino Nunez service aces. Lawrence Tech eventually closed out the set 25-10.
LTU carried that momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and eventually taking a 14-7 advantage before closing out the set 25-14.
The Blue Devils then finished the comeback in dominant fashion in the fourth, turning a 10-10 tie into a 25-13 victory. Chapin played a major role down the stretch, recording four consecutive kills during one stretch as LTU pulled away.
With Friday's split, Lawrence Tech moves to 4-2 overall on the season.
The Blue Devils will wrap up the Vette City Classic with two more matches Saturday, facing the University of Pikeville and Kentucky Christian University.
