GAFFNEY, S.C. – Freshman Josie Curran (Westerville, Ohio) buried 12 kills and posted a .435 attack percentage to help lead the Limestone University women's volleyball team to its third straight win and a second 3-0 sweep over Belmont Abbey College in less than a week on Friday night at the Timken Center.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Limestone 3, Belmont Abbey 0
Set Scores: 25-20, 25-22, 25-14
Records: Limestone (4-2), Belmont Abbey (0-10)
Location: Timken Center
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Curran added five digs and three block assists to go with her match-high 12 kills
• Freshman setter Paige Gardella (Sugar Grove, Ill.) dished out 18 assists on the night
• Senior libero Gabby Wessels (Watseka, Ill.) finished with 10 digs and three service aces
• Senior Madysen Williams (Antioch, Tenn.) tallied nine kills, two aces, and a total of three blocks
• Senior Vanessa Blas (Concord, N.C.) recorded five kills and five digs
• Sophomore Malina Harris (Mooresville, N.C.) chipped in seven assists and five digs
• Sophomore Kasey Thacker (Rome, Ga.) had three solo blocks and three block assists
• The Blue and Gold registered 10 total blocks while hitting at a .187 clip

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Set
 
Williams and senior Madyson Lousignont (Las Vegas, Nev.) teamed up for a block to help the Saints race out to a quick 3-0 lead before an ace from Williams made it 5-2 early on. Kills from Curran and Thacker then put Limestone in front, 9-5, but the Crusaders rallied with a 7-2 run over the next couple of minutes.
 
Attacks from junior Leilani Wilcox Nanai (Christchurch, New Zealand), Williams, Curran, and Blas would put the Saints back on top, but Belmont Abbey countered with a 4-1 mini-run to make it 17-16 late in the opening set. That lead was short-lived, however, as the Blue and Gold ended the first set on a 9-3 surge.
 
Williams tallied four kills during that stretch before Wilcox Nanai sealed the set win with an emphatic kill.
 
Second Set
 
Similar to the first set, Williams and Lousignont again came together for an assisted block early in the second to help the Saints race out to a very fast 10-3 advantage. Curran chipped in a pair of kills during that span while Blas and Williams each added an attack as Limestone established a seven-point cushion.
 
Belmont Abbey came storming back though, using a 10-4 stretch to close the margin to 14-13 at the midway point. Limestone would respond with six of the next eight points, getting a kill and an ace from Blas, but the Crusaders stayed within striking distance as they again made it a one-point affair, 21-20.
 
Curran and Williams followed up with back-to-back kills before an ace by Harris put the Saints at set point, 24-20. The Abbey pulled to within two, but Limestone took the set, 25-22, and a 2-0 match lead.   
 
Third Set
 
The Blue and Gold split the first six points with the Crusaders to start the final frame, but it was all Limestone from that point on as a 14-4 run would put the home team in front by ten, 17-7. Curran helped fuel the run with two kills and a block assist while Wessels delivered a pair of service aces for the Saints.
 
A kill by Blas and an ace from junior Madi delBosque (Boca Raton, Fla.) made it 19-9 a few ticks later, but the Abbey attempted to get back into the set with three straight points. Limestone put to rest any thoughts of a comeback though as it closed out the season sweep of the Crusaders with a 6-2 match-clinching run.
 
Williams and Curran powered the final stretch as the duo combined for three kills before Wessels applied the finishing touches with a service ace as Limestone won its ninth consecutive set with a 25-14 decision.  
 
TURNING POINT
 
Limestone jumped out to big leads in each frame but had to fend off the Crusaders in sets one and two. The Saints used runs of 5-1 and 4-2 to close each of those sets, however, to build up a commanding 2-0 match lead before running away in the third and final set to clinch the season series over the Abbey.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone defeated Belmont Abbey in the final match of the Pacer Invitational last Saturday
• It marks the first time the Saints have defeated the Crusaders twice in a season since 2015
• The last time the Blue and Gold swept two matches against Abbey was during the 2014 season
• The Saints have won nine consecutive sets for the first time since 2015

 
UP NEXT
 
Amid its longest home stretch of the season, Limestone will take a one-match hiatus as it travels to Salisbury, N.C. to face Catawba College tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. in South Atlantic Conference play.