LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Green Bay volleyball team split their opening day at the Rumble in the Rockies on Friday at the Uniwyo Sports Complex in Laramie, Wyoming. The Phoenix swept South Dakota State in game one before falling 3-0 to Wyoming in the nightcap.
GAME 1 | GREEN BAY 3, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 0
Green Bay cruised to a three-set win (25-19, 28-26, 25-17) in game one against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
The Phoenix was led by a double-double from Hannah Vanden Berg, who registered 10 kills and 14 digs in her Phoenix debut. Cora Behnke also added 12 kills to lead the GB offense. On the defensive end, Emma Best chipped in for with 11 digs to go with five blocks from Tiffany Paalman.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Phoenix took control of the set-one lead at 5-4 and never looked back to win 25-19. Green Bay led by seven points at 22-15 before finishing off the set. Green Bay supplemented their offense with four aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | The second set was back and forth until it looked like the Jackrabbits would bring it to a set apiece after taking a 24-22 lead. However, the Phoenix used three kills from Behnke and capitalized on SDSU attack errors to finish the second set on a 6-2 run and take it 28-26. The stanza was tied 14 different times.
SET 3 | Green Bay used that late momentum from the second set and led the entire way in the third set, opening up as much as a 12 point lead at 21-9. The Green Bay offense got a boost from four aces in the stanza. Green Bay's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four South Dakota State attacks in the frame.
GAME NOTES
» Abby Gardner had a match-high three aces in the win.
» Calli Gentry finished the match with 38 assists.
» GB started the season with a win for the first time since 2019.
GAME 2 | WYOMING 3, GREEN BAY 0
Every set was close down the stretch, but the Cowgirls grabbed timely points in each set to take it in three (27-29, 20-25, 22-25).
Behnke finished with 13 kills in the match to lead the Phoenix attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .290. Vanden Berg, Best, and Behnke each had seven digs to lead GB defensively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The first set was perhaps the closest of the night, with the Phoenix sitting on match point at 24-22. Wyoming closed the set on a 7-3 run to take the first set 29-27. Neither team led by more than four points in a set that featured seven lead changes and 15 ties.
SET 2 | Green Bay fell in the second set 25-20, dropping to a 2-0 deficit in the match. Wyoming grabbed the advantage for good at 18-17 and once again finished the set on a 7-3 run to take the set.
SET 3 | Green Bay rallied back in the third set to tie it up at 21 all before the Cowgirls took four of the final five points in the set to secure the sweep.
GAME NOTES
» Emma Best had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Green Bay attackers were helped by a team-high 31 assists from Calli Gentry.
» The Cowgirls had a balanced offensive attack, with three finishing above 10 kills.
» Vanden Berg stuffed the stat sheet for Green Bay, finishing with eight kills, three blocks, and seven digs.
UP NEXT
The Green & White will look to finish the weekend above .500 as they take on Winthrop tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT. Winthrop has started the tournament 0-2 after falling to Wyoming 3-0 and South Dakota State 3-1.
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