Shorter University Athletics

ROME, Ga.- The Shorter Volleyball team bounced back with a 3-1 (14-25, 25-22, 28-26, 25-20) victory over Barton on Saturday afternoon at the Winthrop-King Centre. The win improves the Hawks to 12-14 overall and 9-8 in Conference Carolinas play.
 
 
The visitors took control early in the opening set, jumping out to a commanding 10-2 lead. Shorter attempted to cut into the deficit, but the Bulldogs maintained their advantage throughout the frame to claim the opening set, 25-14.
 
 
Both teams traded blows early in the second set before Shorter began to create separation. A service ace from Caitlyn Sutton helped the Hawks build a 12-7 advantage as they looked to even the match. Barton continued to chip away at the deficit, but Shorter held off the visitors' comeback efforts to secure a 25-22 victory and tie the match at one set apiece.
 
 
Barton used another quick start to take an early advantage in the third set. The Hawks slowly began to chip away at the deficit, eventually scoring four unanswered points to even the score at 18-18. The Bulldogs responded with another scoring run to take a 24-21 lead, putting themselves in position to claim the set. Shorter refused to go away, rattling off three consecutive points to force extra points. After both teams exchanged blows down the stretch, the Hawks completed the thrilling comeback with a 28-26 victory, capped off by a kill from Whitlee Harvey.
 
 
Fueled by their dramatic third-set victory, Shorter carried its momentum into the fourth frame. Both teams battled throughout the set before the Hawks used a late scoring run to create separation. Shorter maintained its advantage down the stretch, securing a 25-20 victory to complete the four-set comeback.
 
 
Offensively, Caroline Sivills and Taylor-Reese Howell led the Hawks with 10 kills apiece. Sivills finished with 10.5 points and five digs, while Howell added 11.0 points and nine digs. Whitlee Harvey contributed eight kills, 11.0 points and 10 digs to help power the Shorter offense.
 
 
Defensively, Caitlyn Sutton paced the Hawks with 17 digs, while Helena Kelley added 10 digs and a team-high 21 assists to round out the afternoon.
 
 
UP NEXT
Shorter will continue its homestand on Tuesday as the Hawks welcome Augusta University to the Winthrop-King Centre at 6 p.m. for their non-conference finale.
 
 
FOLLOW THE HAWKS
For complete coverage of Shorter Volleyball, follow the Hawks on social media at @ShorterHawks on X and @shorter_volleyball on Instagram, or visit the official home of Shorter Athletics at goshorterhawks.com.