Lima, OH – No.10 Cumberlands continued its incredible season Saturday afternoon, picking up two more victories in non-conference play to remain unbeaten. The Patriots opened the day with a 3-1 win over (RV) Aquinas before sweeping the University of Northwestern Ohio 3-0 to improve to 24-0 on the year.
#10 Cumberlands Holds Off (RV) Aquinas, 3-1
Cumberlands came out strong in earning a four-set victory over (RV) Aquinas, hitting .237 as a team while holding the Saints to just .104. Brynnley Bryant paced the Patriots with 15 kills and 12 digs for her third double-double of the year. Savanah Jolly was again the engine of UC's offense, dishing out 39 assists to go along with eight kills, 13 digs, and a block. Alana Shiery and Kara Gipson each tallied eight kills while combining for 11 blocks, and Sara Zampedri added eight kills and nine digs.
The Patriots controlled the first two sets behind strong defense and balanced hitting. Bryant and Shiery powered UC through the opening frame, helping the team hit .212 in a 25-17 win. In the second, Zampedri and Gipson sparked an early surge as Cumberlands built a 17-11 lead and held off a late Aquinas push to take it 25-22.
After narrowly dropping a back-and-forth third set 28-26, the Patriots regained their rhythm in the fourth. UC used a 6-1 run midway through to seize momentum, highlighted by consecutive kills from Bryant and Shiery, before closing out the 25-19 victory and the match win.
#10 Cumberlands Dominates in Sweep Over UNOH
Cumberlands followed up its first win of the day with another dominant performance, sweeping host UNOH. The Patriots hit .183 while holding the Racers to -.103 on 28 attack errors. The balanced attack was led by Aleksandra Augustyniak and Rayne Manning, who each posted five kills, while Faith Franklin and Alana Shiery tallied four apiece.
Jolly continued her strong play with 20 assists, 12 digs, and two aces, while libero Davey Slaughter led all players with 19 digs and five aces. Brynnley Bryant and Sara Zampedri each added three kills off the bench as UC dominated all three sets.
Cumberlands never trailed in the match, opening the first set with a 10-3 burst behind Slaughter's serving. The Patriots kept the pressure on in the second, using a 9-2 run to pull away for a 25-16 win. In the third, UC scored 12 of the final 15 points—capped by a Manning kill—to complete the sweep 25-11.
The Patriots will return to conference play next week as they return home on Tuesday October 21st to face Georgetown. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
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