Smith's 17 Kills Lifts Catawba Over UVA Wise

WISE, VA – The Catawba College volleyball team defeated the Virginia Wise Cavaliers behind 17 kills from Hayes Smith in a 23-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-18 victory on Friday night. 

Catawba (5-14, 3-9 SAC) had to play from behind after they dropped a tight first set 25-23 to the Cavaliers (4-13, 1-12 SAC). The Lady Indians cut their errors in half from set one to set two which made the difference in evening things uop at one set apiece. With the second set tied at 16-16, Catawba went on a seven-point run to blaze ahead 22-16 and gain enough momentum to secure the 25-19 set two victory. 

The Lady Indians found their traction from then on out as they rallied for an imoressive 19 kills in set three to cruise to a 25-14 win, then showed off an efficient effort in the fourth and final set when the team committed just four errors. 

Sophomore Hayes Smith had a career high 17 kills on 50 attacks while Dara Kane sent out 39 assists for the second straight game. Defensive specialist Kary Hales was all over the floor as she recorded 31 digs in Friday night's matchup. 

The volleyball team will end their four-game week tomorrow at Emory and Henry.