Aggressive Offense Carries Wesleyan Past Truett-McConnell

MACON, Ga. - Senior Alaina Avera finished with a team-high eight kills to lead Wesleyan College to its first win of the season, defeating Truett-McConnell College 3-0 at Porter Gymnasium.

The Pioneers (1-9) controlled play for nearly the entire match and limited the Bears (3-3) to a mere .010 hitting percentage in the victory. Wesleyan was coming off a disappointing GSAC tri-match performance, but it would have been hard to know based on their play.

"We took everything we didn't do well [Saturday], fixed it and put it into action today," commented Avera, one of two Wesleyan captains. "Our communication was so much better today. Winning in three sets feels amazing."

The balanced offense saw Adrianne Woodward and La'Joi Battle each contribute seven kills in addition to the captain's eight.

"The back row played well together. The team played well together. The offense played aggressively. Those three things are keys for us and will make the difference the rest of the season," stated head coach J.D. McAllister.

The team's setter rotation of newcomer Hannah Finch and Francie Galbraith worked as planned. Finch finished with nine assists and eight digs while Galbraith added nine assists and three digs. The service game played another key role in the victory as Wesleyan finished with 13 aces.

Liz Norton led the Bears with 14 kills.

Wesleyan travels to Andrew College for an exhibition match versus the in-state Junior College opponent on Wednesday.

Wesleyan College def. Truett-McConnell 3-0 (25-22,25-20,25-23)
Truett-McConnell (3-3) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Liz Norton 14-0-0; Jessica Epting 4-6-0; Emily Grooms 3-3-0; Ashley Phillips 2-0-0; Kaitlyn Lamb 1-2-0; Erin Camp 1-0-0; Jessica Porter 1-0-0; Kasey Ferrell 0-4-0; Totals 26-15-0.0. (Assists) - Kaitlyn Lamb 12. (Dig leaders) - Jessica Porter 20; Emily Grooms 12
Wesleyan College (1-9) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Alaina Avera 8-2-0; La'Joi Battle 7-3-1; Adrianne Woodward 7-1-0; Cecilia Cortez 3-2-0; Rebecca Navarre 2-3-0; Anna Plue 1-0-0; Francie Galbraith 0-2-0; Totals 28-13-1.0. (Assists) - . (Dig leaders) - Hannah Finch 8; Alaina Avera 8; Adrianne Woodward 8

Site: Macon, Ga. (Porter Gymnasium)
Date: Oct 02, 2011 Attend: 51 Time: 1:11
Referees: Kevin Wiemken, Andy Miller