2022 NIVC -- Round 1-2, Wave 1 (Dec. 3)

WESTERN CAROLINA 3, LIBERTY 1 (15-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-19)
 
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Western Carolina prevailed on the road for its first postseason win as a Division I program, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to top Liberty on Saturday in the 2022 NIVC.  
 
The Catamounts (19-12) will face Toledo in Round 2 on Sunday. Bailey Hartsough and Livi Weidmann each had 11 kills and Sydney Carlson closed with 18 assists – Merry Gebel and Destinee Dorsey added 12 digs apiece.
 
The Flames (23-9), who had won 12 straight matches before losing in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, got 17 kills from Lydia Burts. Kate Phillips added 16 kills and 10 digs, Kamryn Bacus had 11 kills and Madison Blane closed with 10 kills. Delaney Dilfer came through with 51 assists and Erica Lowery closed with 14 digs.
 
UTRGV 3, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-16)
 
EDINBURG, Texas – UT Rio Grande Valley swept past South Dakota State to claim a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NIVC.
 
The Vaqueros (27-6) will play at Davidson in the next round; that match is slated for Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. ET. They were paced Saturday by Sarah Cruz, who rang up 12 kills and eight digs. Perris Key added 10 kills and nine digs, and Luanna Emiliano closed with 35 assists.
 
The Jackrabbits (18-15) got 12 kills from Masa Scheierman and 11 kills by Crystal Burk. Raegen Reilly added 26 assists and Alia Schlimgen had 13 digs.
 
BOSTON COLLEGE 3, ST. JOHN’S 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20)
 
NEWTON, Mass. – Boston College earned its second sweep of the 2022 NIVC, moving past St. John’s and into the quarterfinals.
 
The Eagles (21-13) hit .421 and set a record for the most wins in a single season for the program; they will face Xavier in the next round, with the match scheduled for xxx..
 
Silvia Ianeselli had nine kills and eight digs for BC, with Izzy Clavenna also banging in nine kills. Kate Brennan had seven kills; Grace Penn closed with 17 assists.
 
The Red Storm (20-14) had won a five-setter between these two teams in September. Rachele Rastelli finished with 12 kills, leaving her second in program history with 1,874 kills. Wiktoria Kowalczyk had 22 assists and Bre Martin added nine digs.
 
TOLEDO 3, CLEMSON 1 (26-28, 25-23, 25-22, 25-18)
 
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Toledo threw a balanced offensive attack at Clemson in a Round 1 matchup at the 2022 NIVC, with the Rockets coming back for the win after dropping an extended first set.
 
The Rockets (19-12) will play Western Carolina on Sunday in Round 2. Taylor Alt had 21 kills and seven digs; Olivia Vance and Jada Bouyer each had 11 kills and Sinalauli’I Uluave added nine kills and nine digs. Mary Kate Lopez finished with 45 assists and Ryann Jaqua had 24 digs.
 
The Tigers (13-18) got 12 kills each from Cate Long and Camryn Hannah; Colleen Finney had nine kills. McKenna Slavik closed with 37 assists and nine digs, with both Mia McGrath and Anna Renwick closing with 10 digs.
 
DAVIDSON 3, WAKE FOREST 2 (22-25, 25-19, 26-24, 21-25, 17-15)
 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Davidson won its second five-set match in the 2022 NIVC in two days, working past Wake Forest to advance to Round 3.
 
The Wildcats (22-10) will host UTRGV in the quarterfinals; that match is set for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 8.
 
Isabel Decker had 18 kills and 12 digs; Emma Slusser closed with 14 kills and Jackie Bardin added 10 kills. Jessie Doyal added 32 assists to go with 10 digs, and Brady Bella finished with 14 digs.
 
The fifth set was snug the entire way; Decker’s kill made it 14-14 for Davidson, and Slusser converted a shot to make it 16-15. The match then ended on a Wake Forest error.
 
The Deacons (17-14) got 18 kills from Paige Crawford, with 14 kills coming from Peyton Suess. Emmy Ogogor closed with 10 kills, and Andrea Fuentes had 48 assists and 10 digs. Emma Farrell added 20 digs.