Freshman outside hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney (Hamburg,
Germany/Gymnasium Marienthal) recorded a season-high 29
kills and added 13 digs as VCU squeaked by William and Mary
with a 3-2 victory in the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Friday.
The Rams dropped the first game, won the second and third,
but then lost the fourth to send the game to a fifth set.
In the first game, William and Mary (7-5 CAA, 14-12) jumped
out to an early lead that it would not lose, en route to a 30-21
victory. The Tribe led 10-5 after the first 15 points, and the
Rams got no closer than four the rest of the way. The Tribe led
by as many as 10 points twice. VCU (5-7 CAA, 10-17) gave
William and Mary help in the first set by committing 12 errors
that turned into points.
The Rams turned it around in the second game by shoring
up the mistakes made in game one and forcing the Tribe into
costly errors. VCU jumped out to a 10-5 lead and then pumped
their lead to 19-9. Behncke-Biney recorded three kills during
this stretch. However, William and Mary closed to within 21-16
over the next 10 points, forcing the Rams to call a timeout. VCU
calmed down following the timeout and closed out the game
with a Jessica Ojukwu (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Dourado) kill,
resulting in a 30-24 win.
Game three proved to be the toughest of the match. The
Rams jumped out to a 10-5 lead and was able to keep at least
a 3-point margin until a Bryana Carey kill brought the Tribe
to within 20-18. Two consecutive errors and a service ace gave
William and Mary a 21-20 lead, its first of the game. The Tribe
called a timeout following the point and expanded its lead to
23-20 after the timeout because of two VCU errors. However, the
Rams would fight back, tying the game at 24 with a Behncke-
Biney kill and taking the lead 26-24 on two William and Mary
errors. The Tribe followed with its own rally, tying the match
at 29 after forcing two Rams errors. VCU finished the match
from there, as Behnke-Biney and Ojukwu registered kills on
the final two points, giving the Rams a 31-29 win.
After two tough losses, the Tribe dominated the fourth game,
30-19. The Rams fell behind early and never got closer than
four points after a kill by Elisa Kuehnel (Dresden, Germany/
Sportsgymnasium) pulled VCU within 10-6.
With the match tied at two games, the match was forced into
a fifth game. The game remained tight throughout and included
six ties and four lead changes. VCU jumped out to an early 3-1
lead, but William and Mary made a furious rally that ended with
a Ginny Bray service ace and a 9-5 lead. After a William and
Mary timeout, an attack error, two kills from Behncke-Biney and
one from Ivana Rich (Cumberland/Cumberland) tied the game
at nine. The next eight points were split, leaving the score at
13-13. The Rams finished with two straight points to earn the
win with a kill from Ariel Newman (Greensboro, N.C./Southern
Guilford) and one from Kuehnel to end the match.
The Rams next play Tuesday, Nov. 6, at American University
in Washington, D.C.