After playing four games in three days to open the season, the Charlotte 49ers volleyball team steadied the ship with a sweep win over Norfolk State 25-23, 25-23 and 25-16 on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
The victory moved the team to 2-3 in the young season, giving them some confidence as they gear up to host the Charlotte Invitational.
"This win is important," said Head Coach Karen Weatherington. "We need to feel what it feels like to win on our home floor. You never schedule anybody thinking you're going to beat them. I think those guys are going to be future MEAC champions, so I think that was big for us to respond well under pressure."
Opening set rally
The first set saw the Niners facing a tough deficit as a trio of scoring runs saw Norfolk State up 14-4 to begin the set.
Kirsten Birmingham placed a ball in for a kill to give Charlotte the serve, and Lauren Nixon served the team five straight points to trim the lead to 16-13.
The 49ers went on to score six of the set's final seven points, taking the opening set 25-23.
Dramatic win
The second set was a little more closely contested right from the start, with neither team leading by more than four points at any point.
A service error from the Spartans tied it 21-21, which Charlotte capitalized on, forcing attacking errors for three straight points before winning set two 25-23.
Closing fast
The momentum from being up two sets fueled a scoring outburst from the Niners, as they were leading 9-1 before anyone could blink.
Norfolk State brought it down to 11-8, but Charlotte locked in to close the game out 25-16, being unrelenting in their attack as they closed out the set and match.
Match standouts
Birmingham put her mark on the scoresheet in the match with 11 kills, six digs, one block and one assist for a team-leading 11.5 points.
Another 49er standout was Lara Kretschmer, who showed off her versatility both on the frontline and in the serving game as she had 10.5 points with three aces, one block, one dig and seven kills.
Charlotte Invitational looms
Charlotte returns to action Friday, Sept. 6 at 10 a.m., hosting Tennessee Tech to kick off the Charlotte Invitational at home in Halton Arena.
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