BCC loses volleyball opener to defending tourney champion

 The Brunswick Community College volleyball team lost its opening match of the season to defending NJCAA Division II Region 10 champion Catawba Valley Community College on Saturday.

Michael Paul

Emily Schweer reaches to stop a two-handed block by a CVCC player.

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Michael Paul

Hannah Sofield tips the ball over the net.

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Michael Paul

Kenzie McDuffie sets the ball to a teammate.

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Michael Paul

Mattie Tippett returns a serve.

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Michael Paul

Nicole Ray reacts after slamming the ball over the net.

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Michael Paul

Rheanna Lawson gets in position for a block

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Michael Paul

KaAnn Murray passes to a teammate.

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Michael Paul

Brittany Spivey slams the ball over the net.

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Michael Paul

Ericca Matthews serves during the BCC volleyball opener.

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Michael Paul

Alya Shaw was one of nine freshmen on the BCC roster in the first match of the volleyball season.

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CVCC, whose middle hitter, Francesca Edgerton, was the 2009 Division II Region 10 Player of the Year, beat the Dolphins 25-12, 21-25, 25-13, 25-21 at the Dinah E. Gore Fitness & Aquatics Center.

BCC fell behind 10-1 in the first game, and for most the match it was playing from behind.

“Once they got the jitters out in the beginning and they realized that the season was really here,” BCC coach Melissa Everitt said, “they were ready to go. I think that was proven in the next three games. I was really proud of how they played and came together as a team.”

Indeed, in the second game, Kenzie McDuffie held serve for four straight points as BCC took a 9-3 lead. A kill by Rheanna Lawson followed by a CVCC violation put BCC ahead 18-11.

BCC needed four sideouts in gaining the final four points. A kill by Hannah Sofield made the lead 22-15. KaAnn Murray set Sofield for a point. Murray then set Nicole Ray for a point and a 24-20 lead. BCC won the game off an errant CVCC serve.

BCC had it worst stretch of the match in the third game. Brittany Spivey had set Emily Schweer for a point that cut the CVCC lead to 12-11. But CVCC got a sideout off a kill, and that began an 11-point run toward a 23-11 lead.

“For some reason our passing broke down all they around,” Everitt said. “Volleyball is a game of errors. Whoever makes the least amount of errors will win the match. We just made a few too many there in a row.”

The fourth game was the most evenly played of the match, and it was BCC’s best of the match.

A 6-0 run gave CVCC a 16-11 lead, but the Dolphins battled back. A service winner by Schweer cut the lead to 17-15. A block by Sofield left BCC down 19-17. Spivey set Murray for a point, which cut the CVV lead to 21-18.

CVV then scored three straight points and was one point away from winning the match, but BCC fought off three match points. A dink by Spivey cut the lead to 24-21. But CVCC won the next point on a crosscourt kill.

For the match, Sofield finished with 16 digs, seven kills and three blocks. Ray had six digs, nine kills and three aces. Murray had 24 assists and five digs. McDuffie had 13 digs, two aces and two kills.

 “Besides those two runs,” Everitt said, “I think we had some really great comebacks. At the end, when they were on match point, we plugged away. We didn’t play not to lose. We still played to win. That was really important.”