Box Score Due West, SC – After opening the season against five tough non-conference opponents, including two teams in the AVCA Top 20, the Erskine Flying Fleet took out their frustrations on the Bulldogs of Barton College winning in convincing fashion in straight sets (25-12, 25-12, and 25-14) to earn their first win of the season.  For the Bulldogs, they drop to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in conference.

After exchanging points to start the game, Erskine’s Lauren Stewart jump-started the offense with three straight kills to give the Flying Fleet a 10-6 lead.  Following a Fleet service error, Erskine ran their lead to six points at 15-9, forcing Barton Head Coach, Jeff Lennox, to call time out.  After swapping three points each, the Fleet rattled off seven consecutive points to win the first set 25 to 12, highlighted by two kills each from sophomore Caitlin Bullock and senior Lauren Stewart.  Stewart had 9 kills in the set to lead the Fleet offensively.

In the second set leading 10 to 6, Erskine again sprinted away from Barton using two 5-0 runs to win the second set by the same score 25-12.  Bullock had three service aces while Stewart and freshman Kelly Sullivan each had four kills.

Erskine mercifully closed out the match winning the final set 25-14.  Sullivan added four more kills while senior Liz Massey added two kills along with seven digs.

Defensively Erskine limited Barton to just a .051 hitting percentage while blasting a season-high .429 average.

Stewart led the Fleet with a game-high 16 kills and 7 digs while Sullivan came off the bench to finish with 8 kills on just 10 attempts.  Senior Larz Chabra had another splendid game from her setter position with 24 assists, 6 kills and 6 digs and fellow senior Brooke Dodge had a game-high 15 digs.

Erskine is back in action tomorrow against the Trojans of Mount Olive College.  Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. and admission is free to all Erskine home volleyball matches.