Lisa Newell came up big for Charlotte down the stretch. |
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Charlotte Volleyball Wins Fourth Straight Match, Downing Elon 3-2
Sept. 28, 2004
Charlotte, NC - Junior Lisa Newell had 20 kills and hit .500 for the match, leading the Charlotte 49ers volleyball team to its fourth consecutive victory on Tuesday night at Halton Arena. Charlotte took a 3-2 decision over Elon by scores of 26-30, 30-23, 30-16, 30-32, and 15-9.
In the decisive fifth game, a kill by outside hitter Abbey Szlanfucht made the score 9-7, and the Niners would not look back. Elon (7-7) could get no closer than three points the rest of the way, and the home team closed out the match with two consecutive strong kills by middle blocker Newell. The pair combined for six of the team's 11 kills in the final frame.
Szlanfucht posted a big double-double for Charlotte (13-4) , with 24 kills on .404 hitting and a career-high 28 digs. Newell added three service aces and was in on six blocks, including two solo. Freshman Alma Arroyo notched 18 kills and seven digs, while middle Jessica Oldenburg amassed 13 kills, 3 aces, eight digs and three assists.
Charlotte came out slowly to start the match, committing seven hitting errors and dropping the first game to a hot-hitting Elon club. The 49ers answered back immediately, dominating games two and three while hitting a combined .449. Charlotte hit .581 in game three, and committed just one error. Newell shined for the 49ers in the third, killing eight balls in just ten attempts, while Szlanfucht was 5-for-8 (.625).
The Phoenix battled back, coming from behind late in game four to reverse a 28-26 deficit. The 49ers committed three crucial hitting errors in the stretch, which was finished off with a kill from Britany Westphal to send the action to game five.
Westphal finished with 12 kills for Elon, while Emily Lucci totaled 18 kills and seven digs. Libero Mary Kate Spear had 16 digs defensively for the Phoenix.
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Charlotte travels south this weekend to open Conference USA play. On Friday, the Niners will square off against South Florida. The team will stay on the road to play at Alabama-Birmingham the following day.
