Panthers Claw Out Of 2-0 Hole To Stun Lady Bearcats
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rust (2-11, 0-2) | 25 | 25 | 13 | 18 | 10 | 2 |
|
Philander Smith (2-4, 1-1) | 17 | 13 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Rust College volleyball program had upset on the brain and looked as if they would pull it off, taking the first two sets against the defending champions on their home floor, but the magic wore off as Philander Smith came all the way back to win in five, 3-2.
It was a gutsy effort by Head Coach Zuzana Armstrong's team as three of their top players were either sick or injured.
The Basics:
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Score
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Philander Smith 3
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Rust 2
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25-17, 25-13, 13-25, 18-25, 10-15
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Records
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Rust (2-11, 0-2 Gulf Coast)
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Philander Smith (2-4, 1-1 Gulf Coast)
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Location
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Little Rock, Arkansas – Mims Gymnasium
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Series History (Since 2021)
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Philander Smith Leads 7-0 (0%)
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Winning Streak (Since 2021)
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Philander Smith (W7) | Rust's Last Win: N/A
Rust Top Performers:
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Deja Campbell, as the de facto veteran of the squad, stepped up in a big way, hitting .320 with a season-best ten kills plus a career/game-high 24 digs en route to her fifth career double-double.
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Saraih Taylor contributed a double-double of her own, piecing together a team-most 19 assists in addition to 11 digs to tally her second of the year.
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Gabriella Gabriel doubled up her previous benchmark for blocks with a quarter of swats on top of her second double-figure kill match (11).
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Annie Narvaez logged a season-best 26 digs, Jamika Coleman set a new personal-record for kills at nine, and Markeoni Thomas went for a Bearcat-best five blocks.
Notes:
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RC lost a five-set match for the first time since the 2021 season, having previously sported an unblemished 5-0 mark and 2-0 GCAC record in such instances before Friday night.
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The two sets taken from PSC were more than the past 19 sets played against the Panthers combined, winning the set just once since coming into the weekend.
Next:
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Short-term memory loss can be a blessing in college athletics as the Blue and White are right back at it vs. Wiley College Saturday at 1 p.m. in the capital of Arkansas.