Cleveland, GA- Patriots move to 6-4 as they swept the first day of the Truett McConnell Invite.  The Pats swept the first match of the weekend against Brenau (25-17, 25-22, 25-18), then followed it with a 3-1 win over Webber (17-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-16).

vs Brenau

Sara Zampedri led the Patriots attack as she notched a double-double, 15 kills and 12 digs to go along with two aces. Allyson Grava came away with nine kills and 14 digs, while Kara Gipson tallied seven kills and four blocks. Kendell Arnold notched 37 assists and Juliet Banks tallied 18 digs.

Arnold kicked off the weekend with a kill, Gipson followed with a block for the 2-0 lead.  After a short Golden Tiger run, The Pats tied the set then went on a 6-1 run to take a 16-14 lead. On that run, Grava notched three kills, Gipson tallied two kills, and Zampedri added a kill. Following a Brenau timeout, Zampedri added two more kills, before Danielle Jackson notched a kill of her own to take a 20-17 lead. After another Brenau timeout, UC scored five straight points to take the set.

Set two saw a tighter score, but the Pats took advantage of all the Golden Tigers errors to take the set 25-22. In set three, Zampedri notched a kill and an ace with a Jackson kill in between for the 3-0 lead. A few plays later, Gipson, Zampedri, and Grava notched three straight kills for the 9-5 lead. Brenau would rally and cut the Patriots lead down to one, 15-14, before Grava sparked a 6-0 run to take control. Gipson and Jori Dowling also added kills on the run. From there, Zampedri tallied two kills, followed by a Jackson kill for match and set point. Zampedri would end the game with a kill.

vs Webber International

For game two, Grava led the way with a double-double, she tallied 17 kills and 15 digs, while Zampedri added 12 kills. Jackson had a great game, notching seven blocks and four aces. On the backline Savanah Jolly tallied 16 digs, and Banks came away with 15 digs. Arnold led the passing attack as she tallied 35 assists.

UC got off to a slow start in set one as the Warriors won the set. Cumberlands rebounded in set two, as Zampedri and Gipson notched kills to start the set. Finding themselves trailing 7-5, The Patriots rattled off eight straight points to take the lead. Jolly tallied back-to-back aces, while, Grava added a kill, and Arnold, Jackson, and Zampedri notched blocks. After a Webber point, Zampedri went on a 3-0 run, with two aces and a kill, that forced a Warriors timeout. Following the timeout, Cumberlands went on two separate runs to tie the set score at 1-1.

Set three started with back-and-forth action before UC took control with a 7-0 run. On that run, Zampedri notched two kills, while Grava and Jackson added kills as well. Jackson was also apart of three blocks during the run. A few plays later, the Warriors had back-to-back errors to go along with a Jackson ace to take an 18-11 lead. The Patriots would go on to win the set 25-19.

After both teams scored two points to start set four, the Pats went on a 4-0 run. Jackson would notch back-to-back aces, plus a kill from her and Grava for the 6-3 lead. Three plays later, UC went on a 5-0 run. This run featured two aces from Arnold, and kills from Gipson and Grava. Grava added another kill, followed by three Warriors errors for the 15-7 lead. Cumberland would hang on to their lead through some back-and forth action, and Jackson put the finishing touches on the match with a kill.

Cumberlands will return to Harris Athletic Complex tomorrow for day two of the Truett McConnell Invite. The first game will be at 10 am against Keiser, then they will face the host school at 4 pm to end the weekend.

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.