LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL PAGE
THE TURNING POINT: The Eagles won the first set, 25-7, and didn't look back.
STAT OF THE DAY: Ashland has won six straight matches for the first time since Oct. 26-Nov. 23, 2013 (11 straight).
For the first time in three years, Ashland University's volleyball team has won at least six consecutive matches, as the Eagles earned No. 6 in a row by a 3-0 (25-7, 25-22, 25-17) count on Friday (Oct. 28) night at Walsh.
Ashland improves to 16-8 overall and 7-5 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Cavaliers fall to 9-14, 2-9.
"It was a solid win," said Ashland head coach Cass Dixon. "We played on point in set 1, followed the game plan and were unstoppable offensively. Got caught on our heels defensively at the end of the second set, but made changes to our defense to be able to defend our court.
"In the third set, we started slow but came back quickly. We need to do a better job when teams try to disrupt the rhythm of our play. But it's one more step closer to our goal."
The Eagles' .347 hitting percentage on Friday is their second-highest in a match in 2016, and during the six-match winning streak, Ashland has had a single-match percentage no worse than .250.
On the flip side, the Eagles' defense kept Walsh to a hitting percentage of .071 – the second-lowest for an AU opponent this fall. In the first set, the Cavaliers' hitting percentage was -.037.
Freshman outside hitter Shelby Woycik paced Ashland's offense with 12 kills while adding a .522 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Kayla Pfeiffer had 38 assists, while junior libero Melanie Aguayo posted a team-high 15 digs.
UP NEXT: Tuesday (Nov. 1) at 7 p.m. at Kates Gymnasium vs. Tiffin.
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