Lady ‘Dawgs volleyball not only defeated Valdosta State 3-0 on Oct. 11, the team defeated the University of West Georgia Wolves 3-2 on Oct. 12, defeating two conference competitors.
Lady Bulldog starters include junior outside hitter Abbey Wainwright, sophomore middle blocker Mallory Baker, freshman setter Hannah Huguley, freshman outside hitter Deja Moorer, McKenna Carter, junior setter Lydia Wright and sophomore defensive specialist Elise Seufert.
The first set began with Union scoring three points to Valdosta’s zero. Union remained in the lead a majority of the match, however, Valdosta fought to tie the match at 18-18.
Union continued leading at 23-19 until Valdosta scored three points, making the score 23-22, still in Union’s favor.
Union sealed the win at 25-22.
Set two began with Valdosta scoring the first point, but that did not keep Union from fighting to win. The Lady ‘Dawgs won set two 25-17.
In the third set, Union scored the first three points, putting the score at 3-0. Union did not relent and ended up defeating the Blazers 25-17.
The ‘Dawgs were led by Moorer with 14 kills, Wright with 34 assists and six aces, Seufert with 23 digs and Baker with four blocks.
“Our back row players have been the backbone of our team,” said Head Coach Tripp Swisher. “Elise Seufert, Morgan Morfe and Jamie Humphries have provided a staple of excellent ball control pretty much all year. Lydia Wright is starting to lead this team and run the offense at a high level.”
Union also hosted a conference opponent, the University of West Georgia Wolves, Oct. 12 for a five-match game.
“It was a tremendous weekend knocking off two of the top teams in the conference,” Swisher said. “Everyone contributed in a big way.”
The starters for the Bulldogs remained steadfast with Wainwright, Baker, Huguley, Moorer, Carter, Wright and Seufert.
In the first set, Union trailed behind the Wolves 7-14 before starting to rally, tying the score at 17-17.
An attack error by University of West Georgia’s Kayla Hartman broke the tie and allowed Union to regain the lead 18-17.
Union claimed the win 25-20.
The second set also began with Union scoring the first point.
Each team fought hard during the second match to regain the lead for their team; this led to seven instances in the match where the score was tied.
The ‘Dawgs claimed victory of this set with a score of 25-19 over the Wolves.
The third set proved to be more difficult for the Bulldogs, who only scored 10 total points in the set.
The Bulldogs received their first loss to the Wolves 10-25. The Bulldogs also lost the fourth set 21-25, forcing a fifth set to be played.
The fifth set was exactly the turnaround the Bulldogs hoped for.
The lead in this set went back and forth between teams three different times, and the score was tied seven separate times.
Union claimed victory in this set 15-11 and ended up defeating the Wolves 3-2 overall.
Score leaders for Union included Huguley with 13 kills and Baker with 11 kills.
Wright led with 36 assists, Humphries led with three aces and Seufert led with 16 digs.