Union Volleyball Defeats Columbia in Four Sets

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Union Commonwealth University women's volleyball team (7-14, 7-4 AAC) defeated Columbia College (3-18, 3-9 AAC) Saturday afternoon, 3-1.

In their lone matchup against Columbia last season, the Bulldogs earned a 3-0 sweep. This time, Union won by taking three of four sets. Set scores were 25-18, 17-25, 25-14 and 25-23.

Game Recap

Set 1: Union Commonwealth 25, Columbia 18
Columbia held an early 3-2 lead before Union went on a 10-2 run to make it 12-5. The Koalas cut the deficit to four at 17-13, but Union stretched the lead to 22-15. Columbia responded with a 3-0 run, closing to within 22-18, before the Bulldogs finished the set on a 3-0 run to win 25-18.
Top Performers: Emily Shumaker led the team with five kills, followed by Rylee Stookey with four.

Set 2: Columbia 25, Union Commonwealth 17
Union started strong with a 4-1 lead after a kill from Berkli Benefield. The Bulldogs held the edge until Columbia tied it at 6-6, then used a 3-0 run to go ahead 9-6. After Union pulled within one at 9-8, the Koalas extended their lead to 14-10 and later closed the set on an 11-5 run to win 25-17, tying the match at 1-1.
Top Performer: Benefield led the team with three kills.

Set 3: Union Commonwealth 25, Columbia 14
Union opened the third set with a 3-0 run before Columbia briefly took a 5-4 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a dominant 14-3 run to go up 18-8. After a short Columbia push, Union sealed the set 25-14 with kills from Jersey Glass, Ginevra Girardo and Benefield. The Bulldogs took a 2-1 match lead.
Top Performers: Stookey led with four kills, followed by Girardo with three.

Set 4: Union Commonwealth 25, Columbia 23
Union jumped out to a 4-2 lead before Columbia moved ahead 5-4. The Bulldogs then surged with a 16-6 run to lead 20-12. The Koalas battled back with an 11-4 run to cut it to 24-23, but Union closed out the match with the final point to win 25-23 and secure the 3-1 victory.
Top Performers: Shumaker led with five kills, while Benefield added three.

By the Numbers

• Shumaker led the Bulldogs with 14 kills.

• Sarah Charkosky tallied a team-high 21 assists.

• Morgan Stacy and Girardo each recorded three blocks.

• Sydney Worde and Glass led in digs with nine apiece.
  
  

Up Next
Union travels to Athens, Tenn., to face Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m.