The Rams defeated the UVa-Wise Cavaliers Saturday afternoon by a score of 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-11). In back to back home games the Rams swept their opponents, as they have now won eight of their last nine games.
Shepherd continued the momentum from Friday night’s win as they again led in every major statistical category, showing a well-rounded effort. The Rams had a surprising 13 aces on the game compared to just three for the visiting Cavaliers. The Rams also outscored UVa-Wise by a wide margin, scoring 55 points compared to 28 coming from the Cavaliers.
Rams sophomore setter Jessica Karcz had a game-high 31 assists and was the only Ram to register one for the entire game. The next closest to Karcz’s total was Cavalier setter Morgan Milligan, as she recorded 20 for the game.
Similar to the game against Concord Friday night, Karcz led the Rams in the digs category as well. She finished with 15 digs, just four shy of the game-high set by UVa-Wise’s Briana Kerr.
The Rams’ defensive prowess was also on display Saturday afternoon, as they had six blocks, with four coming from senior middle hitter Christine Jackson.
Senior outside hitter Amanda Snowden also finished with a game high 11 kills, with sophomore outside hitter Cambriea Hill contributing nine for the Rams.
Rams coach Alex Hoekstra spoke after the game on the improvement of the team from the beginning of the season when he said, “The team has gotten better at not giving up our leads and playing consistent”.
Hoekstra also commented on upcoming opponent Wheeling Jesuit when he said, “Wheeling hasn’t lost in conference play. We are closing the gap and want to be the first ones to take them down”.
The Rams have six days before their next game on the road against Wheeling Jesuit on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.. They hope to carry the momentum from the two home victories this weekend.
Vaughn Brewer, Sports Writer for the picket can be reached at vbrewe01@rams.shepherd.edu