Box Score
JAMESTOWN, N.D. — The third-ranked University of Jamestown women's volleyball team lost in five sets to William Carey (Miss.) University Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: William Carey 3, Jamestown 2 (15-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-8)
LOCATION: Harold Newman Arena, Jamestown, N.D.
RECORDS: Jamestown 22-3, William Carey 29-9
Aleah Zieske led Jamestown with 18 kills, followed by Charlee Krieg and Lexi Olson with 8 kills each. Charlotte Lempka hit .467 on 15 swings, with 7 kills and no errors.
Ellie Holen had 29 digs to lead UJ. Zieske added 12 for a double-double. Tenley Buddenhagen passed out 25 assists with 4 digs and Lily Bertsch added 21 assists, 7 digs, and a pair of aces. Olson and Karlie Anderson both had five block assists.
William Carey outhit Jamestown .153 to .108.
The Jimmies came back from a 12-10 deficit in the first set, winning six straight points and 7 of the next 8. A kill by Lempka started a 7-0 streak to close out the opener 25-15.
After trailing 2-1 early in the second, Jamestown retook the lead for good, eventually building a 7-point cushion at 21-14. Down 24-18, William Carey won five consecutive points to get within a point before Olson's kill ended the set and put the Jimmies ahead in the match 2-0.
A Crusader service error in the third set gave UJ a 16-14 advantage but William Carey went on a 5-0 run that turned the tide of the set as well as the remainder of the match. WCU won 25-20 to force a fourth set.
The Jimmies fell behind 8-3 in set four, and got as close as 11-8 after an Anderson kill. The Crusaders put together three straight points and doubled their lead, then went on to a 25-19 win to even the match.
A 6-0 William Carey run broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth set and Jamestown could not mount a comeback. A kill by Maddie Demars and an ace from Grace Hegerle helped UJ get within 12-8 before the Crusaders took the final three points to seal the win.
Jamestown ends the season with a record of 22-3 while William Carey will advance to Sioux City, Iowa, December 4-10 for the 45th Annual NAIA Women's Volleyball Championship.
