LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Spalding University women's volleyball team pulled off a dramatic comeback on Tuesday night, defeating the Berea College Mountaineers 3–2 at Columbia Gym. After dropping the first two sets, the Golden Eagles showed resilience and battled back to claim three straight sets, sealing the match with a nail-biting finish in the fifth.
TURNING POINT
Berea jumped out strong early, edging Spalding in Set 1 (25–22) and again in Set 2 (25–22) to grab a 2–0 lead. Facing the sweep, the Golden Eagles turned the tide in Set 3 with a hard-fought 27–25 victory that kept them alive. The momentum shift carried into the fourth, where Spalding stayed sharp and earned a 25–21 win to even the match at two sets apiece. In the decisive fifth, both teams traded points, but Spalding held firm down the stretch to close out a 15–13 win and complete the comeback.
Offensively,
Paloma Martinez powered the attack with a match-high 21 kills, while
Adreonna Anderson and
Kacy Hillerich added 10 kills each. Both Anderson and Hillerich also sparked the Eagles at the service line with three aces apiece. Defensively,
Makayliah Grundy anchored the net with eight total blocks, while Anderson contributed five more. Spalding's back row proved steady as well, with the Eagles finishing with 88 digs, just edging Berea's 87.
While the Mountaineers matched Spalding in total kills (56), the Eagles' 16 team blocks compared to Berea's 5 made a crucial difference in the outcome. The win lifts Spalding to 3–10 overall and 1–4 in SLIAC play, while providing a big morale boost after clawing back from two sets down.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
