COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team earned a split in the first day of action at the Carolina Classic following a four-set victory (25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) over Norfolk State. The Bulldogs avenged an earlier setback to Eastern Kentucky, who earned a sweep by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-11.
 
Bailey Kernodle was the bright spot for The Citadel (5-8) in the win over Spartans, finishing with 15 kills and 11 digs as she notched her third double-double of the season. Ise d'Angelo was also a major contributor with nine kills and seven digs.
 
Rachel Keefer piloted The Citadel's offense with 37 assists, while Lauren Hurt and Dominique Williams were responsible for six assisted blocks apiece. Those blocks helped Hurt become the all-time assisted blocks leader (207), surpassing Jessica Maas and Jessica Maxwell, and total blocks leader (294), previously a mark held by Lindsey Hodge, in program history.
 
Norfolk State (0-11) countered with a front row attack that included Jessica Johnson (14 kills) and Tori Tulensru (11). Noelle Eagles was the catalyst for the defensive attack with 14 digs, while teammate Darcy Moore completed a double-double with 40 assists and 11 digs.
 
The Citadel battled through eight ties in its first 15 points before assuming a 17-15 lead on a series of unforced Norfolk State errors. The lead eventually reached seven points, with Samantha Espy in serve, as the Bulldogs took the opening set following a series of late kills by d'Angelo.
 
Leading 13-12 the Bulldogs used a 6-2 run, which included two kills by Kernodle and Hurt, to stretch their lead to 19-14 in a tightly-contested second set. From that point The Citadel capitalized on three Norfolk State unforced errors and a pair of strikes by d'Angelo to win the second set.
 
Norfolk State grabbed momentum early in the third set when it jumped out to a 10-2 lead with Moore in serve. The Citadel retaliated by scoring 15 of the next 25 points, including two strikes by d'Angelo and Dominique Williams, as it narrowed the gap to 20-17. The Spartans completed the victory due behind timely kills by Dominique Parker, Adriana Ramos and Jessica Johnson.
 
In the fourth set, The Citadel trailed by as many as six points before rallying to take a 21-20 lead. With the match deadlocked at 23, consecutive kills by Megan Sowell helped the Dogs earn the victory.
 

 
Eastern Kentucky used a balanced offensive attack to earn a 3-0 victory over The Citadel in the first match of the afternoon.
 
The Colonels had 44 kills as a team, including nine by Alexis Plagens and eight from Rachel Vick, while the defense was highlighted by Dena Ott (10 digs).
 
The duo Bailey Kernodle and Dominique Williams led The Citadel with six kills, respectively. On defense, Lauren Hurt continued to climb up the Bulldogs' all-time list of career solo blocks as she recorded her eighth of the season. This places Hurt five shy of Lindsey Hodge for third place on the all-time list.
 
In the first set, Abbey Cvelbar allowed Eastern Kentucky to stretch a two-point lead to 12-6 with a series of service aces. The Citadel responded with a 6-3 run, including three kills by Kernodle, trimming the margin to 15-12. The Colonels allowed just five Bulldog points down the stretch and used two kills each by Vick and Ally Peters to complete the win.
 
Plagens provided the critical point early in the second set as the Colonels eventually grabbed a 15-9 lead. An unforced error by Cvelbar put The Citadel into double figures, but it was not enough as Eastern Kentucky used two kills each from Ciera Koons, Johanna Boyer and Plagens to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set proved to be the difference for Eastern Kentucky, who cruised to a victory due in large part to a .414 attack percentage. The Colonels used strong service games by Plagens and Sanks to build a 23-9 lead. Plagens was also a focal point of the offense with four kills as EKU finished with 15 kills in the decisive set.
 
The Bulldogs complete the tournament on Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. match against host South Carolina.