Richard Bland Takes Doubleheader from Sandhills
The Sandhills Flyers hosted Richard Bland College Thursday afternoon for a beach volleyball doubleheader, with the Statesmen earning wins in both duals despite several strong performances from the Flyers lineup.
Sandhills showed depth throughout the lineup, earning multiple pair victories and pushing several matches to decisive third sets during the afternoon.
In the opening dual, Richard Bland narrowly claimed a 3–2 victory in a tightly contested matchup. The Flyers earned points from both the No. 2 and No. 3 pairs.
The No. 2 duo of Katelyn Bunting and Reagan Malpass delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, defeating Rachel Pickens and Kristin Mathis in straight sets, 21–11 and 21–12. The Flyers added another point at the No. 3 position where Taylor Miller and Jaselyn Fink battled past Gabrielle Maedor and Averi Haughton in a close two-set contest, 21–18 and 21–19.
Sandhills also showed resilience at the No. 5 position as Alyssa Ingle and Jacque Holden captured the opening set before Richard Bland rallied to take the next two sets and secure the dual victory.
Richard Bland carried momentum into the second dual of the afternoon, taking the match 4–1. Once again, Bunting and Malpass were a bright spot for the Flyers, repeating their earlier performance with another straight-set victory over Pickens and Mathis by the identical 21–11, 21–12 scoreline.
The No. 3 and No. 4 matches proved to be the most competitive contests of the second dual. Miller and Fink pushed Maedor and Haughton to three sets before falling in a narrow 16–14 third-set decision, while Emery Freeman and Reagan Smith also forced a deciding set at the No. 4 position before dropping a hard-fought 15–11 final frame.
In exhibition play, Kennedy Koziarz and Olivia Bowman opened their match with a first-set win before Richard Bland rallied to take the final two sets.
The Flyers will now head to Florida over spring break where they will face Florida State College at Jacksonville and St. Johns River State College in a pair of road duals.
Sandhills returns home on Friday, March 20 for a Region 10 matchup against Gaston College.