Boxscore Game 1
Boxscore Game 2
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Lightning volleyball team fell prey to an impressive Viking comeback in a 3-2 loss to Elizabeth City State and put up a strong fight in a 3-1 loss to the host, University of the District of Columbia as the Battle in the Nation's Capital Tournament concluded Saturday.
The Lightning finished the tournament with a record of 1-3 while Le Moyne finished 4-0, UDC 3-1, Elizabeth City State 1-2 and Virginia State 1-2.
Against ECSU, freshman
Kadi McCoy had a terrific all-around performance with 12 kills, 17 digs, two service aces and one block assist. McCoy was one of four Lightning players with double-figures in the digs column in what was a spectacular defensive effort by GBC. Junior
Monica Dempsey (who also had a career-high 37 assists) pitched in with 15 digs, and senior
Roni Shaner and freshman
Niki Receveur had 14 apiece as well.
Down 2-0 against the Firebirds in the Lightning's second match of the day, GBC gutted out a 27-25 third-set victory to extend match play. The Lightning even threatened to send the match to a fifth set as they quickly jumped out to an early 5-1 advantage and held a 21-20 lead late in the fourth set, but UDC came back to win, 25-22 and claim a 3-1 match victory.
GBC vs. Elizabeth City State
In the first set, the two teams traded points early on as the lead changed hands a few different times before the Lightning created some distance with a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 12-8. Senior
Rebecca Stoffer, picking up right where she left off yesterday, had two kills during the Lightning's mini-surge.
GBC later extended its lead to five, 21-16 courtesy of a service ace by senior
Roni Shaner and ultimately closed out the set win with a 3-0 run which began with Receveur's second kill of the match.
A kill by freshman
Taylor Moyer helped the Lightning get off to a 3-1 start in the second set and later a service ace by Dempsey gave the Lightning an 11-9 advantage. But a 5-0 Viking run on the strength of three Whitney Green kills led to ECSU taking a 14-11 lead.
The Lightning kept within striking distance though, never letting the Vikings go up by more than four. On the heels of their largest deficit of the game, 21-17, the Lightning would score eight of the next 11 points for an impressive comeback win. McCoy came through with a service ace to bring the Lightning within one, 21-20, and consecutive kills by Stoffer and Moyer with the score tied at 22 helped GBC erase the deficit and win the set to take a 2-0 match lead.
Needing one more set victory to end the match, the Lightning faced a determined ECSU squad in the third set. The Vikings stormed out to a 6-1 lead and led by as many as 10.
Freshman middle hitter
Emily Shustack capped a short 3-0 GBC run to help the Lightning pull within three (19-16), and a kill by Moyer capped another 3-0 burst to pull the Lightning within two while they faced game point, down 24-19. ECSU's Morgan Cary ended the set with a kill to extend match play with a 25-22 Viking win.
After two Viking errors allowed GBC to go in front 4-2 early in set four, ECSU went on an 8-0 run to go up 10-4. The Vikings extended their lead to as many as 10 and GBC never got any closer than within four points as ECSU forced a fifth set with a 25-20 fourth set win.
Moyer scored the first point of the fifth and final set, but ECSU ran off five straight points after that and extended its lead to 8-2 before the two teams flipped sides.
Riding the momentum of two consecutive set wins, ECSU hit .350 (nine kills, two errors) while GBC hit .000 (four kills, four errors), and the Vikings cruised to a 15-8 fifth set win to complete the three-set comeback victory.
GBC vs. UDC
The host Firebirds led from wire-to-wire in the first set, but the Lightning never showed any signs of quitting. GBC hung around early thanks to three kills by Stoffer and two by McCoy, but UDC opened up a 19-10 lead with a 6-0 run powered by three Kelsey Boyd kills.
UDC extended its lead to 22-11, but GBC fought its way back into the match with a 7-2 run, including four consecutive points while facing game point. UDC's Vanessa Garley finished off the set with a kill and the Firebirds took a 1-0 match lead with a 25-18 set victory.
The Lightning trailed for most of set two, but hung around long enough to take an 18-17 lead on the strength of a 4-0 rally featuring two McCoy kills. Three lead changes and four ties ensued, but the Firebirds were able to close out the set on a 4-0 run, culminating in a Grace DeMichelis kill at the end.
Down 2-0 in the match, the Lightning looked to be on the verge of losing in straight sets as UDC jumped out to a 14-7 lead in set three. But GBC fought its way back with a 9-1 rally featuring two kills by Stoffer and one by Moyer. Dempsey's service ace put the Lightning in front 16-15.
From that point on, a see-saw battle ensued with eight ties and five lead changes before a winner was decided. A McCoy kill gave the Lightning the opportunity to win the set, up 24-23, but Boyd came through for UDC with a kill to tie the match at 24 and force extended set play.
Boyd kept the Firebirds alive once more following a Stoffer kill, but finally, a UDC attack error followed by a Shaner kill for GBC gave the Lightning a 27-25 third-set win and forced a fourth set.
Early on in set four, the Lightning looked poised to send the match to a fifth set as Moyer struck for four kills and Dempsey served up an ace to put a fired-up GBC squad ahead 5-1 and force a UDC timeout.
Slowly but surely, the Firebirds fought their way back and eventually knotted the score at 12 apiece. The score was tied twice more at 13 and 21, with the Lightning never relinquishing the lead until a Vanessa Garley kill to put UDC up 22-21. Garley had two kills in what amounted to a 6-0 Firbird rally as UDC claimed a 24-21 advantage.
Following a second GBC timeout, a McCoy kill brought the Lightning within two (24-22), but the match came to an end on after a Lightning attack error.
GBC is back in action on Tues. at 7 p.m. as the Lightning take on non-conference opponent Bowie State.
