Williamsburg, KY – The UC volleyball team returned home for the first time in two weeks and gave the home crowd a lot to cheer for as they defeated Freed-Hardeman 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-12) Friday night at the UC Volleyball Gym.  With the win, the Patriots improve to 15-8 overall and 4-1 in conference play. 

Kendall Arnold led the way with 39 assists, six digs, and three kills.  Allyson Grava notched a match-high 14 kills, including eight in the third set, along with seven digs to help put the game away.  Kara Gipson and Sara Zampedri combined for 17 kills as Anna Blumeier notched seven kills in her first start of the year.  Juliet Banks recorded 10 digs to lead the way.

Gipson and Blumeier each tallied a kill as Cumberlands jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the first set.  Grava added two kills and an ace as part of a 5-1 run to extend the lead to 9-3.  The Lions went on a 6-2 run to pull within striking distance, before Gipson notched a kill and combined with Blumeier for a block making it 13-9.  The two teams traded points until Arnold dished out five straight assist and added a kill to make it 21-12.  The junior setter closed out the first set with back-to-back kills for the 25-14 win and the 1-0 lead.

Freed-Hardeman jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the second set before UC started to rally.  The Patriots chipped away at the deficit as a pair of kills from Blumeier brought the Pats within three at 14-11.  After the teams traded points Grava notched consecutive aces to cap off a four-point run as UC cut the deficit to 20-19.  A Zampedri kill sparked a four-point run, however, the Lions rallied to even the score at 24-24.  Arnold then found Zampedri and Grava for kills to close out the set 26-24 and give Cumberlands the 2-0 advantage. 

Grava tallied four kills to help UC take a 7-4 lead in the third set.  Cumberlands utilized a five-point and a four-point run, the latter of which was capped off with three straight kills from Grava to give the Patriots an 18-7 edge.  Danielle Jackson added a pair kills in the closing stages of the match before a kill from Zampedri closed out the set and the match.

Cumberlands finished the match with 47 kills and an .320 attacking percentage.

UC will return to the court Saturday, October 7, when they host Bethel.  First serve is set for 2 p.m. with live video available here.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.