Royals’ Historical Volleyball Run Ends in Sweet Sixteen

Aiken, S.C.- The Queens University of Charlotte volleyball team competed in their third fifth-set match of the weekend, against the top seed in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament on Sunday, December 4, 2016. The Royals who entered as the seventh seed in the tournament, narrowly fell to the Pacers in the Southeast Regional Finals after USC-Aiken rallied to take the last three sets of the match 20-25, 24-26, 25-14, 25-16, 15-13.

Meredith Jones led the team with 17 kills, seven digs, and two blocks. Cochran found a double-double in the match with 15 kills and 12 digs helping the Royals throughout the five sets. Sydney Kunz led the team with 45 assists adding eight digs to her night while Megan Mancini led the team in digs with 25.

USC-Aiken had three players earn a double-doubles in the match. Taylor Stratton led the team in kills with 23 as she included 25 digs, again for team top. With 11 kills and 12 digs, Shawn Hotson added a double-double to her season while Emily Teelon led the team in assists with 59 in addition to claiming 14 digs.

The Royals opened with a strong first set, hitting just three attacking errors in the game and taking a hitting average of .250 for the set. Momentum started to shift towards Queens after a four point run topped by a service ace from Taylor Henry put the team ahead 10-6. As the game continued, the Royals maintained a slight lead over the Pacers, eventually forcing the host school to use their first timeout after Queens secured a 20-16 score. USC-Aiken battled to hang within striking distance but used their second timeout trailing 23-18. Alex Thompson found a kill for the team to move them to set point before Cochran served an unreturnable ball for the win.

A slow start put the Pacer ahead 7-2 forcing the Royals to use their first timeout of the match. Struggling, Queens eventually found themselves trailing by 10 points in the set, 15-5, as they looked for answers. Finding a spark off a kill from Jones, the Royals secured a 4-0 run to start a long build that eventually led to the team taking the lead at 23-22, with Jessica Raines finding the Pacer floor. Both teams swapped points as they looked to close out the set but Queens overcame the long rallying points to find two-in-a-row for the set win.

Another slow start forced the Royals to use a timeout call after USC-Aiken tallied a 7-1 score. The Pacers continued to control the set, eventually taking a 12-3 lead with a kill from Julia Forster.  Just like the set before, Queens started a slow climb coming within six, 13-7, but the next three points fell to USC-Aiken forcing the Royals to make a timeout call from the bench. The Royals continued to battle but were unable to find the floor as the Pacer tallied the set win.

The fourth set was even through a 5-5 score, but a string of errors put the Royals behind by four points, 10-6. Rallying, Queens battle back with the help of three back-to-back kills from Jones to force a tie and a timeout call from the Pacers, 11-11. The Royals, however, again found themselves on the defensive as errors put them behind 16-12, again calling timeout to refocus. Unable to recover, Queens was forced to use their second timeout call at 22-14, looking for momentum to shift back towards their side of the net. The team would not be able to hang on as the match went into its fifth set.

Digging to find strength, Queens sat just off the Pacers score in the beginning of the deciding set; however, USC-Aiken took a three point lead as the teams switched sides, 8-5. Queens used their second timeout after USC-Aiken found a four point gap, 12-8. The Royals would not go down without a fight, coming within two points 13-11. Cochran put the team within one, taking a kill off a long rallying point. She again kept the team alive with a hit to the right edge of the floor, 14-13.  The Pacers' would find their match point as Christine Carroll powered one to the back line for the win.

The loss concludes the historic season run for the Royals who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history and as the first women's program for the school to reach the finals of the Southeast Regional Championships.