With only two games remaining, the Asbury volleyball team is in the home stretch to close out their 2023 season.
The Eagle’s last handful of games saw tough competition against Rio Grande, Union, and Georgetown, ultimately ending in three losses.
“The last week of games has been challenging, but there have been many learning
experiences come from it as well,” said junior Emma Grace Gray. “We are learning to overcome adversity and learning what it looks like to play as a team.”
On Oct. 8, the team took on the Rio Grande Red Storm in a nail-biting five-set match. Rio Grande managed to break Asbury’s two-match win streak when facing them in 2019 and 2021.
However, the Eagles didn’t go down without a fight. The home team, the Red Storm,
came out swinging to win the first two sets. In games three and four, the Eagles rallied to tie
things up 2-2. In the end, Rio Grande managed to regain their footing and close out the final set
to win the match.
Right out of the gate, the Red Storm established a sense of dominance, starting things off
14-5, before closing it out 25-10. The Eagles managed to keep the second set much more competitive, with a tied score of 17-17, but the Red Storm just barely beat them out for a 25-19 win.
The third set opened similarly to the second, with a score of 17-6, before the Eagles
turned the tables on them to snag their first win at 25-19. The teams remained evenly matched
through the fourth set, but once again, the Eagles managed to pull away with a 25-23 win.
However, with the match on the line, the Red Storm won 15-11, to win it all 3-2. Some noteworthy stats were that Riley McChord set a season-high 24 digs, Emma Grace Gray had her thirteenth match this season with 10 or more kills, and Lucy Kate Gray came away
with 31 assists.
After that, the Eagles came back to Wilmore for a game against Union College on Oct. 20. This match wasn’t quite as close as the game against Rio Grande, with Union winning 3-0.
Things started fairly evenly in the first set, with a 16-16 score, before Union overtook the Eagles 25-18.
Set two went similarly, remaining close up through 16-14 before Union pulled away with
a second win at 25-22.
Finally, in the third set, things were equally as competitive, but Asbury couldn’t quite
overcome them, losing 25-21, ending the match 3-0.
A freshman on the team, Eve-Elyse Hall, had a season-high 21 assists. One of the team’s powerhouses, Lucy-Kate Gray, was absent from the game due to an injury she obtained in the Rio Grande match.
On Oct. 23, the Eagles traveled to play against the Georgetown Tigers. They managed to
take one set but ultimately lost 3-1. Asbury led through the beginning of the first set but ended up choking the win to the Tigers 25-21. Georgetown came into the second set strong, pushing to 17-13, before winning 25-21.
Set three saw the Eagles take a massive 14-6 lead early. Georgetown fought their way
back, but the Eagles were able to maintain just enough momentum to secure their first win
27-25.
However, the Tigers started set four with an 11-5 lead and didn’t let up, taking the last set
25-17.
Riley McChord was able to top her season record once again, with 25 digs, making this
her ninth match with 20 or more.
“Over half of our team is underclassmen, which allows our team a lot of room to grow,”
Gray said. “The underclassmen have done an amazing job of stepping up and filling roles that
were needed, and it makes me excited to see where the program can go.”
On Nov. 2, the Eagles will travel to Kentucky State University to play their last away
game. After that, they will return to Wilmore for their final game of the season on senior night
against the University of Cincinnati-Clermont on Oct. 4.
“People should come and support our senior and the team as well,” Gray said. “It will
also be our last game of the season, so it is a great opportunity to watch us play one more time
this year.”
Article written by Andy Biller.