William and Mary (3-6, 0-4 CAA) lost their fourth straight game against Charleston (10-7, 3-3 CAA) on Sunday, Oct. 3. The 1-3 loss comes off a 0-3 loss the day before to Charleston as well.
The Cougars picked up the first set easily. Though the Tribe claimed first blood with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Sydney Taylor, the Cougars ended up winning the frame, 25-15. A late 10-2 run sealed the victory.
Three kills from sophomore outside hitter Maddie Meyers marked the Tribe’s best individual performance.
The second set saw the Tribe only triumph, 25-20. This time, the Cougars took the first point, but the Tribe tied it and claimed the lead quickly.
The game went back and forth until the tie at 17, when the Cougars went on a three-point run.
But it was freshman setter Amy Schwem who really sealed the deal for the Tribe, bringing the Tribe on an eight-point run. Schwem took the serve for the last eight points. She managed to target Cougar outside hitter Gabi Bailey for two attack error points and back-to-back aces. Her precision with the service translated into defensive prowess as well. Schwem got the kill to bring the Tribe to 24, and assisted to get the win.
The third started off well for the Tribe. They carried momentum from their previous win. The score was tight until 10, when the Cougars went on a 5-0 run. Despite kill efforts from Meyers, Seekford and Farrell, the Tribe could not overcome that initial deficit. They ended up losing 20-25, the opposite score of the frame in which they won.
The Tribe lagged in the fourth. The Cougars’ relentless game pounded the Tribe down. The Cougars took an early lead, then went on a 7-2 run. The Tribe got points here and there, but the Cougars were consistent — and the scores showed it. The Tribe lagged by 8 points for the majority of the game.
The Cougars clinched the game on a service error by Taylor.
Graduate student outside hitter Julia Brown and Farrell claimed double digit kills despite the Tribe’s lagging performance with 10 a piece. Meyer contributed eight total, with five coming from the first frame alone. Schwem recorded three service aces to lead the team, seven digs, and a whopping 26 attacks. Junior libero Anna Porter netted 14 digs.
The numbers do not look too different on the score sheet between teams, but the Cougars managed to string together their performances for a victory. For example, the Cougars netted 51 kills to the Tribe’s 51, 18 errors to 23, and 41 attacks to 43.
The Tribe will return to break its losing streak next Saturday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. against Hofstra.