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Liberty University
VCU
VCU Tops Liberty 3-0 in 1st Volleyball Match at Liberty Arena
1/22/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Coach Johnson Postgame Press Conference
Rajini Fitzmaurice Postgame Press Conference
Trinity Watts Postgame Press Conference
The Liberty volleyball team competed inside Liberty Arena for the first time on Friday, falling to VCU 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17).
VCU, coming off of a 2019 season which saw the Rams earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, opens its season at 1-0. The Lady Flames (0-1) advanced to the NIVC quarterfinals last season.
Notable Numbers
• For the match, VCU outhit Liberty .320-.144. The Rams led in aces (6-2) and blocks (10-6.5), while Liberty held a 41-37 advantage in digs.
• VCU's Jasmine Knight and Lauren King hit an identical .476 with 12 kills each. Knight led all players with six blocks. Qairo Bentley totaled eight kills and 11 digs and was one of three Rams with two aces.
• Trinity Watts led Liberty with nine kills during her first collegiate match, while Lilly Kruse collected a match-high 15 digs and Amaya Williams dished out a match-high 23 assists. Lydia Burts led Liberty with four blocks in her collegiate debut.
Match Summary
SET 1
• The Rams got off to a fast start, outhitting Liberty .324-.167 while winning set one 25-18. Knight hit 6-0-7 during the opening session, while Kruse collected six digs for the Lady Flames.
SET 2
• Liberty trailed set two 13-11 after Watts' third kill of the set. However, VCU pulled away with a 12-4 run to win the middle set 25-15.
• VCU posted five blocks during set two, holding Liberty to a .083 attack percentage. Knight assisted on three of the Rams' second-set blocks, while Fitzmaurice scored four kills for the Lady Flames.
SET 3
• The third set featured seven ties and two lead changes. The Lady Flames took an 8-7 lead on a kill by Julia Mangum. VCU led 18-16 before closing the match on a 7-1 run.
• King scored six kills for the Rams during the third set, while VCU hit .393. Burts, appearing for the first time in set three, factored in on all of Liberty's four blocks during the set.
Quick Hits
• Last season, VCU (1st) and Liberty (24th) both ranked inside the top 25 in the nation in blocks per set.
• VCU is now 18-14 all-time against Liberty in volleyball, with the last meeting before today being a 3-0 Rams sweep at the Vines Center, Sept. 12, 2017.
• Liberty freshman Trinity Watts started in her Liberty debut, while classmates Julia Mangum and Lydia Burts also made their collegiate debuts. This freshman class received "Highest Honorable Mention" on PrepVolleyball.com's list of top incoming recruiting classes.
• Making her first start at libero, junior Lilly Kruse tied her career high with 15 digs.
• Today's match was contested on Liberty's brand-new Taraflex surface.
Up Next
Liberty remains at home and will host Old Dominion at 1:30 p.m. next Friday inside of Liberty Arena.