SWANNANOA, N.C. — Warren Wilson College started strong against Roanoke College on Saturday, taking the opening set before the Maroons rallied for a 3-1 victory at DeVries Athletic Center.
The Owls captured the first set 25-21, but Roanoke responded by taking the next three, 25-16, 25-16 and 25-18.
Warren Wilson established itself early in a competitive opening set that featured five ties. The Owls led 18-14 before Roanoke worked its way back and eventually tied the set at 21. Warren Wilson answered by scoring the final four points.
Pandora Keele put the Owls back in front with a kill,
Josie McCoy followed with another, and two Roanoke attack errors finished the 25-21 victory.
The Owls hit .219 in the opening set with 11 kills.
Akeela Cunningham recorded five kills, while McCoy added four kills and hit .300. Warren Wilson also collected four service aces and two blocks in the set.
Roanoke found its offensive rhythm from there. The Maroons hit .357 in the second set and .367 in the third while holding Warren Wilson to 16 points in each frame. Roanoke then closed the match by hitting .542 with 15 kills and only two errors in the fourth.
Warren Wilson opened the fourth set with four consecutive points behind two kills from Keele and one from Cunningham. The Owls extended the advantage to 11-6 before Roanoke mounted its comeback. The Maroons tied the set at 12 and eventually built a 16-13 advantage. Warren Wilson pulled within 18-16 on a McCoy service ace, but Roanoke closed on a 7-2 run for the 25-18 decision.
Cunningham led Warren Wilson with 17 kills and added nine digs and five service aces. Keele finished with 12 kills, hit a team-best .321 and collected nine digs. McCoy contributed eight kills and a team-high 11 digs.
Aria Parish directed the offense with 31 assists while adding four digs and a solo block. As a team, Warren Wilson finished with 38 kills, 38 digs, nine service aces and two blocks, hitting .202 for the match.
