The anticipated return of the Georgia Northwestern Lady Bobcats volleyball team to the court at the Rossville Athletic Center finally took place on Thursday night and the Navy-and-Silver didn’t disappoint.
Playing host to visiting Welch College of Nashville, the Lady Bobcats sent their guests back to the Music City with a straight-sets loss, 25-22, 25-19 and 25-21.
GNTC (2-1) led by four at the midway point of the first set, only to see Welch rally and take a 22-20 lead when Bobcats head coach Carrie Powell used her last allowed substitution.
It turned out to be the right call as the Lady Bobcats reeled off the final five points, thanks to some brilliant late-game serving off the bench from Katlyn Bishop.
The second set would start out the way of Welch, who stormed out of the gates to grab a 9-2 lead.
Undaunted, the Lady Bobcats clawed their way back, tying the match at 14. They worked their way to a 23-19 advantage before an ace by Layna Jenkins and a kill by Sabrina Garcia gave GNTC the set.
The third and final set was a tight one throughout before the Lady Bobcats finally were able to wrestle away the momentum for good.
A kill by Casey Chapman tied things up at 20 and two consecutive hitting errors by Welch put the home team three points from clinching the match. Mikiah Treece had a couple of outstanding digs late in the match and another Welch hitting error, brought on by a hard shot from Garcia, polished off the sweep.
“We should have come out a lot stronger than we did,” Powell said. “Maybe we were just nervous playing at home, but we found a way to win and that’s all that really matters. Welch has a scrappy team and they got to some balls we didn’t think they could get to, but it’s always nice to be able to beat a four-year college.”
Holly Mount paced the offense with eight kills, while Garcia finished with seven on the night. Rachel McGill dished out 15 assists. Treece had a solid game defensively with 23 digs, while Ashley Bradley added eight. Bishop led the Lady Bobcats with three aces.
GNTC will hit the road on Monday, joining Alice Lloyd College for a tri-match at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn. starting at 6:30 p.m.