SALISBURY, N.C. – Playing in their first South Atlantic Conference road match of the season, the Limestone University women's volleyball team had its three-match win streak snapped as Catawba College swept the Saints in straight sets, 3-0, in a Saturday evening matchup at Goodman Gymnasium.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Catawba 3, Limestone 0
Set Scores: 25-19, 25-23, 25-18
Records: Catawba (4-4, 2-1), Limestone (4-3, 1-1)
Location: Goodman Gymnasium
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Senior Vanessa Blas (Concord, N.C.) finished with a team-high eight kills to go with seven digs
• Senior Madysen Williams (Antioch, Tenn.) added six kills and nine digs
• Freshman Paige Gardella (Sugar Grove, Ill.) handed out 17 assists and two service aces
• Sophomore Malina Harris (Mooresville, N.C.) dished out 10 assists and chipped in seven digs
• Senior Gabby Wessels (Watseka, Ill.) tallied nine digs on the evening
• Junior Leilani Wilcox Nanai (Christchurch, New Zealand) recorded seven kills and a block assist
• Senior Madyson Lousignont (Las Vegas, Nev.) penciled four kills, two aces, and two block assists
• Limestone finished with 21 attack errors for a .078 attack percentage
• The Saints also recorded five service errors and five reception errors
• Catawba posted a .211 attack percentage in its three-set sweep

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Set
 
Catawba scored the first two points of the opening set, but Limestone took advantage of a pair of errors by the Indians and a kill from Lousignont to trail 4-3 in the early stages. The Indians countered with a 6-1 run over the next couple of minutes, forcing the Blue and Gold to take a timeout as the lead grew to 10-4.
 
Attacks from Wilcox Nanai bookended a 12-9 stretch for the Saints as the visitors managed to close the gap to 19-16 late in the set. Blas added a pair of kills during that span while Gardella dropped an ace, but Catawba rallied with a 6-3 spurt to close the first set and pull ahead in the match, 1-0, with a 25-19 win.
 
Second Set
 
Limestone used two kills by Blas and another ace from Gardella to build a quick 6-1 lead in the second set, but Catawba used a 4-1 surge to pull to within 7-5. Freshman Josie Curran (Westerville, Ohio) and Lousignont registered back-to-back kills, but the Indians tallied four straight points to pull even at 9-all.
 
The Saints retook the lead behind a 5-1 counterattack, capped by consecutive service aces from Lousignont that put Limestone in front, 14-10. Catawba kept things close, but two kills from Williams combined with attacks by Curran, Lousignont, and Wilcox Nanai helped Limestone built up a 23-20 edge.
 
Following a timeout by the home team, the Indians turned the momentum and grabbed a commanding 2-0 match lead as they scored the final five points to win the second set by a final of 25-23. Catawba's first lead in the second set came at set point, 24-23, before finishing off the come-from-behind win on an error.
 
Third Set
 
Like the first set, Catawba scored the first two points of the third before a kill from senior Madeline Yeager (Sacramento, Calif.) sparked an 8-6 stretch to tie things up at 8-8. Williams powered the run with two kills while Lousignont and Wilcox Nanai each added an attack. The Indians would move back in front, but the Blue and Gold capitalized on two straight errors by the home team to take its first lead of the frame, 10-9.
 
Although Catawba promptly retook the advantage with two straight points, kills from both Blas and Williams knotted things up at 13-all. Limestone stayed within striking distance as two straight kills from Wilcox Nanai and an attack from Blas pulled the visitors to within 19-17 a few moments later, but the Indians would finish off the evening on a 6-1 run to complete the 3-0 sweep with a 25-18 third-set final.
 
TURNING POINT
 
While the Saints battled the home-standing Indians closely in each set, Catawba used explosive runs at the end of each frame to secure the win. The Indians ended the first set on a 6-3 run before overcoming a deficit in set two with a 5-0 spurt. They closed out the match with a 6-1 run to end Limestone's win streak.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone and Catawba squared off on the volleyball court for the first time since 2014
• It was the Saints first trip to Salisbury since 2007
• Senior Bailey Carpenter (Lawrenceville, Ga.) finished with five digs and an assist
• The Indians finished with a .308 attack percentage in the third and final set

 
UP NEXT
 
Limestone returns to the Timken Center to begin a three-match homestand when it hosts Coker University in South Atlantic Conference action on Tuesday, September 21 at 7 p.m.