CHARLESTON, S.C. – Ise d'Angelo drove home 13 kills and Lauren Hurt added 12 as The Citadel wrapped up its 2014 non-conference volleyball slate with a 27-25, 25-11, 27-25 victory over Claflin on Tuesday evening at McAlister Field House.
 
The Bulldogs (8-22) earned their third home victory of the season with a lineup that tallied 53 kills and a .353 hitting percentage, due in large part to the play of setters Rachel Keefer (26 assists) and Logan Smith (20). Four Citadel players, led by Hurt (.524), posted a .300 hitting percentage in the match including Megan Sowell (.467), Moriah Smith (.385) and d'Angelo (.323).
 
On defense the Cadets were anchored by Samantha Espy (11 digs), Bailey Kernodle (two assisted blocks) and Dominique Williams (two assisted blocks).
 
Claflin (18-12) dropped their fifth road match of the campaign due in large part to an offense limited to 40 kills in 108 total attacks (.222 hitting percentage). The key to the Panthers offensive attack was Bria Bronston (13 kills / .619 hitting percentage). On defense, Claflin was led by the trio of Caleen Hawkins (12 digs), Courtney Person (10) and Kiara Johnson (three assisted blocks).
 
Trailing by six points on three occasions over the first 20 points of the opening set, The Citadel forced an eventual 24-all tie on a ball handling error by Clafin's Brianna Garvin. Two points later, with the game knotted at 25, Kernodle drove a kill past the Panther defense to put Espy into serve. The sophomore answered the call as Garvin committed an unforced error to give the Dogs the two-point victory.
 
The Citadel put on a dominating performance in the second set, driving home 17 kills in 23 total attacks and along the way posted a .739 hitting percentage. In a reversal of fortune, the Bulldogs streaked out to an early 11-4 advantage on a kill by d'Angelo. The lead eventually ballooned to 11, following a pair of strikes by Hurt, forcing Claflin to spend its second timeout. The Dogs took a 2-0 lead down the stretch with timely kills by Sowell, Kernodle and Moriah Smith.
 
The Cadets again took an early lead in the third set, 7-2, but the service game of Bronston helped Claflin trim the deficit to one point following a strike by Chelcey Foster. The Citadel regained control and stretched its lead to four, 21-17, only to allow Claflin to knot the game at 24-all following a 7-3 run that included three straight unforced errors. Tied at 25, the Dogs used kills by Sowell and Williams to complete their third sweep of the season.
 
The Citadel returns to action on Friday evening when it heads to Greenville, S.C., to take on rival Furman at 7.