SPORTS

Wildcat Bella Brady

DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson volleyball team fell 3-1 at the hands of the VCU Rams on Friday night from inside Belk Arena. With the outcome, the ‘Cats remain in fourth place among the A-10 standings with a 10-11 overall record and 6-5 conference ledger, while the Rams improve to 13-11 overall and 8-3 in the A-10.

“I like the way we battled tonight,” said head coach Chris Willis. “I truly believe that we’re on an upward trajectory and getting better with each match. VCU came to play tonight, and I’m already looking forward to us getting back out there against them on Sunday.”

Sola Omonije had a career-best performance, totaling a career-high 13 kills to pair with a match-high .444 attacking percentage. The sophomore also picked up three digs, two block assists and a team-high total of 14 points. Rookie Isabel Decker was just one kill shy of a double-double, as the Illinois native recorded a team-high 18 digs and notched nine kills.

The Wildcats had their best offensive performance during the opening set, in which Davidson swung at a .341 clip, totaling 18 kills with just three errors. With their offense, the ‘Cats jumped out to the early lead and led by as many as four points, thanks to a Madeline Wynn kill, before VCU tied the set at 13 points apiece. As the Rams regained the set’s momentum, leading 19-16, Omonije and Decker took matters into their own hands, combining for back-to-back kills and tying the frame back up at 19-all. As the tie score increased to 23-23, Davidson had earned the first set-point after a Lauryn Albold kill, and would go on to earn three more set-points before VCU ultimately ended the first set on a three-point run to win it 31-29.

Bouncing back in set two, the ‘Cats put on a dominant performance to settle the match score at 1-1. Out attacking the Rams .237-.054, Davidson won the second frame 25-15 with the help of lengthy service runs from Decker and Bella Brady. With VCU leading 4-3 early, Decker put the ball away with a kill from the outside, and then led the Wildcats on a four-point service run from the endline. Later, with a 9-5 advantage, Brady stepped up to serve and put the ‘Cats on a six-point tear to establish a 14-6 lead. With the set nearly out of reach, and a 20-11 lead, Omonije, Decker, Albold and Anela Davis each recorded a kill to close out the set two win.

VCU bounced back in the third and fourth sets, combining for 31 kills on 73 attempts and coming up with eight total blocks. As the Rams’ defense at the net intensified, the ‘Cats struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, allowing VCU to clinch the match with 25-10 and 25-22 set victories.