Search Results

Hattiesburg, Miss .- the fall athletic season at William Carey has been very busy, and very rewarding. Every single fall sport will be represented at the NAIA National Championships in the upcoming days. For more than a decade, Carey soccer has been a mainstay in the NAIA Top 25 polls. Both men and women consistently vie for championships on a yearly basis. This year is no different, with both teams hosting the NAIA Opening Round at Danny Owens Field. The women's cross country and women's volleyball teams are also both headed to the NAIA National Championships after impressive regular seasons. Coach Danny Owens' women's soccer team is currently ranked #3 in the latest NAIA poll on the heels of another SSAC Championship. The defending NAIA Runner-up's are looking to make another run at a national championship and duplicate the feeling of hoisting the red banner again for the first time since 2018. Led by leading scorer, Christina Salmon, the Crusaders are 18-1-1 on the season and will play the winner of Mid-America Christian (Ok) and Xavier (La) on Saturday, November 23rd at 1:00. The winner of that game will advance to the final site in Pensacola, Florida for a shot at the title. Men's Soccer is also hosting the NAIA Opening Round on the campus of William Carey. The Crusaders finished 3rd in a tough SSAC that features three teams ranked in the NAIA Top 15. Ranked 12th in the nation, Carey has a record of 13-3-2 behind Kolby Godbolt's team-leading eleven goals. Coach Barry Farrell's team will have to beat Georgia Gwinnett to reach the final site to compete for an NAIA championship in Wichita, Kansas. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for Saturday, November 23rd at 4:00 at Danny Owens Field. The Lady Crusader Cross Country team is headed to the NAIA National Championship in Columbia, Missouri after winning the SSAC Championship in Oakville, Alabama. Blanca Conesa paved the way as she's done all season, winning the individual championship and earning the title "SSAC Runner of the Year."  This is the first SSAC Championship for the Lady Crusaders since 2018. The NAIA National Championship race is set to take off at 11:30 on Friday, November 22nd. The men's cross-country team placed third at the SSAC Championship, but Nathan Sury finished in the top five earning him the opportunity to compete unattached at the NAIA National Championship. In what may be considered the biggest surprise of the fall season, the Lady Crusader Volleyball team has punched its ticket to the NAIA National Championship. Picked to finish fifth in the SSAC pre-season poll, Carey shocked the league finishing third in the regular season before cruising through the SSAC Tournament all the way to the championship. The Crusaders came up just short in the finals, but the runner-up finish was good enough to grab the second automatic berth for the SSAC into the NAIA tournament. Led by freshman Suelen Lima's 465 kills, the Lady Crusaders boast a record of 28-9 heading into the NAIA Opening Round. Carey has a tall task ahead as they travel to third ranked Jamestown (ND) for a shot at advancing to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa. That game is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:00. As busy as the upcoming weekend will be, you can keep up with all of the action online. Games will be broadcast and updated from our website at careyathletics.com . For more information, call the office for external relations at 601-318-6657.

PULASKI, Tenn . – The William Carey Women's Basketball Team wrapped up their SSAC road trip with an 87-75 victory over UT-Southern. "I thought we really played well today," said Head Coach  Tracy English . "Our inside game was really solid. Rose and Addy controlled the pace of the game in the last four minutes to keep UT-Southern at bay." Kolten Blakeney  opened the scoring with a layup followed by a pair of free throws to give Carey an early 4-0 lead. From there WCU pulled away to take a 17-11 advantage with over three minutes left in the quarter.  However, the Lady Crusader offense went cold over the final minutes allowing the Firehawks to cut the deficit to 19-16. With less than a minute remaining, WCU converted four free throw attempts to push their lead to 23-18 at the end of the first quarter.   Carey got off to a great start in the second quarter, as Blakeney dropped six points with  Leah Sutton  adding five points to extend the WCU lead to 34-21 over a four-minute span. Once again though, the Lady Crusader offense went silent over the final six minutes and UT-Southern took full advantage, fighting their way back to within four at 41-37 at the half.   Carey opened the third quickly extending their lead to eight, but UTS responded with back-to-back three pointers to cut the lead to 45-43 just two minutes into the quarter. From there things remained close, as both teams traded shots over the next four minutes.  With WCU holding a 47-45 lead,  Leah Sutton  and  Shaneal Corpuz  made back-to-back layups capped by a three pointer by  Jenna Garriga  to give Carey a nine-point lead before taking a 57-52 lead into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Crusaders slowly took control of the game, building a ten-point advantage at 65-55 with six minutes remaining. From there it was all Carey, as they pushed their lead to as many as fifteen points on their way to victory. Shaneal Corpuz  led six Lady Crusaders in double figures with 19 points and eight rebounds.  Kolten Blakeney  added 18 points with  Addyson Sherer  finishing with twelve points.  Rose Warren  and  Leah Sutton  each added eleven points with Warren also grabbing eleven rebounds while  Jenna Garriga  had ten points. Carey returns to action Monday, November 18, as they host Tougaloo College in non-conference action. Play is set to begin at 5:00 pm at Clinton Gym

MONTGOMERY, Ala . – The William Carey Volleyball Team's bid for an SSAC Tournament Championship came up short, as they finished runner-up to Mobile 3-1 Saturday afternoon at the Multi-Plex at Cramton Bowl. "This weekend was some of the best volleyball I've seen the team play as a whole," said Head Coach  Ronda Shirley . "They executed the small details well and elevated our defense from a blocking & digging standpoint. They played more consistent from set to set and match to match."  "Although we didn't have our best performance against Mobile, I am still very proud of the overall performance this weekend. Mobile is a very solid team, and we have to give them credit for the way they played." Carey got off to a great start, as back-to-back blocks followed by two aces from  Barbara Guedes  put WCU ahead 5-2. Mobile fought their way back to tie the set at six, but the Lady Crusaders quickly retook the lead, before going on to take a 14-8 lead. From there, WCU maintained a comfortable lead before closing the set on a 4-0 run for the 25-18 victory. The second set started just like the first except it was the Rams that got off to the hot start, opening on an 7-1 run. Carey slowed the run, getting back to within three points on multiple occasions but each time Mobile answered to extend their lead. Just as it looked as if the Rams had things well in hand, Carey made things interesting cutting the deficit to just two points at 24-22 but Mobile would get the last point on a kill to even the match at one set apiece. The battle continued well into the third set, as neither team led by more than a point until Mobile took a 14-12 lead. From there, the Rams took control of the set behind a 7-2 run, before going on to take the set 25-18 and a 2-1 lead. The Lady Crusaders found themselves playing catch up once again in the fourth set. UM took an early 12-6 lead and they never looked back, going on to take the set 25-16 and the match. Sofia Bettini  led the way with twelve kills while  Kayla Benedic  had twenty digs.  Katarina Vulic  finished with 35 assists with  Suelen Lima  and  Marcella Hermont  combining for 26 digs. "We can't forget we still qualify for the NAIA National Tournament. That is a huge accomplishment for a team that was pre-season picked to finish fifth in the conference.  "As hard as today's loss is, the team is extremely excited to find out who and where we will play on the 23rd. Our season is not over yet. We will be ready to get back into the gym to prepare for the next challenge." With Mobile winning both the regular season and tournament title, Carey will receive the other automatic bid to the NAIA Opening Round for finishing as the SSAC Tournament runner-up. The opening round for the NAIA national Tournament will be held at campus sites on Saturday, November 23.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey Men's Basketball Team suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Tougaloo College 69-66 Monday night at Clinton Gym. "Tougaloo showed a lot of fight and determination all night," said Head Coach  Steve Knight . "Each time we extended our lead they came roaring back. I give them a lot of credit for hanging in there when they could have quit. Obviously, they kicked our tails around the basket and the rebounding differential was the difference in the game. They made the plays down the stretch, and we didn't." Both teams struggled at the start of the game to find an offensive rhythm leading to a total of six points being scored in the first four minutes. After trading shots,  Chad Jones  got the Carey offense going with a three pointer to make it 8-7 Touglaoo.  Javeon Gordon  converted a pair of free throws to put the Crusaders ahead by one with  Zandon Haralson  and  Randarius Hughes  following with layups to make it 13-8 Carey with twelve minutes remaining. Over the next seven minutes, Carey maintained the lead, pulling away to as many as nine with five minutes left in the half. The final minutes of the half saw the Crusader offense go cold allowing the Bulldogs to cut the deficit to 27-25 with just over two minutes left. From there both teams traded shots with  Jamar Jenkins  sending Carey into the break, up 36-30. Cam Brown  and  Ankerion Gross  opened the scoring for the Crusaders in the second half giving Carey a 40-31 lead. Over the next six minutes, both teams again traded shots with Tougaloo chipping away at the lead only to see WCU pull away each time eventually taking their largest lead of the night at 54-41 on a Hughes layup with twelve to play. However, the Bulldogs picked up the defensive pressure, as the offensive found their rhythm, going an 18-4 run over a seven-minute span to take their first lead since the fifteen-minute mark of the first half. Both teams took turns with the lead over the next four minutes with Carey holding a 66-65 lead with under a minute to play.   On the Bulldogs next possession it looked as if Carey picked up a pivotal steal but instead was called for a foul sending Tougaloo to the free throw line. Tyler Hudson converted both attempts to put the Bulldogs up 67-66 with less than thirty seconds left. With Carey having enough time for one last shot Jenkins took aim from behind the arc but as the ball left his hands Antonio Patterson blocked the shot to seal the victory. Makeem Roberts  and  Randarius Hughes  led the offense, each finishing with thirteen points. Carey is back in action Thursday, November 21, as they hit the road to take on Thomas University. Play is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Good Morning Hattiesburgians & Friends. Happy Tuesday. The rain is gone and will not be returning any time soon. There's was 20 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. North wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Then tonight, it's mostly clear, with a low around 56. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight.

One of the Pinebelt's Biggest Thanksgiving events is coming back again this year. If you or if you know of someone who is in need of a hot, warm, delicious Thanksgiving meal during this holiday season, look no further than the "Day of Community Blessings" sponsored by the Pinebelt and Faith Community. Stay up to date with unlimited 24/7 by signing up today to Hattiesburg News. Simply click the picture below to subscribe. The event is held Sunday, November 24, 2024 at the C. E. Roy Community Center, 300 East 5th Street starting at 1:00pm. Early arrival is highly recommend to avoid long lines. The event is expected to feature a Thanksgiving Meal, giveaways and more. For more information about this event, to volunteer or to donate, please contact Otis Griffin at 601.606.6978. If you know of a single parent that needs help for Christmas, tell them to sign up to get free toys, clothes and shoes at the "Christmas in the Park" event. Sign up by visiting our home page or click on the picture below. Hattiesburg News will continue to cover this event as it gets closer. We'll keep you updated with all the latest information.

Good Morning Hattiesburgians and Friends. Let's kick off today's weather report in the beautiful city of Hattiesburg where it will be mostly patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 81. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Then Tonight, expect showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1am. Low around 69. South southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Hattiesburg, MS - Good Morning! Happy Friday Hattiesburgians & Friends. Here's today's weather report for the Pine Belt and surrounding areas. Today, in Hattiesburg, expect the day to be sunny, with a high near 72. North northeast wind around 5 mph. Never Miss Weather or News Again. Tap Picture Below and Sign Up Now to get unlimited 24/7 news to your phone. Then tonight at local high school football games in the Hattiesburg area, expect it to be patchy fog but that's after 4am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 45. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Today's Weather Around the Pine Belt Let's take a look around the Pine Belt and see what the weather is like. Let's start with our sister city Laurel, MS . Today will be sunny, with a high near 70. North northeast wind around 5 mph. Tonight will be clear, with a low around 43. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Let's take a peak over 84 to our friends in Waynesboro . Today will be sunny, with a high near 70. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Tonight expect it to be clear, with a low around 42. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Now up 98 to our cousins in Columbia. Today, expect it to be sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph. Then tonight it will be patchy fog after 11pm. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 44. Calm wind. Let's hop on 59 headed if you're headed to New Orleans and see what the weather's like in Poplarville. Today will be sunny, with a high near 72. North wind around 5 mph. Then tonight, it will be clear, with a low around 47. Calm wind. Let's head on over to Collins, MS with our beautiful Mayor Hope Jones and Friends. Today it will be sunny, with a high near 71. North northeast wind around 5 mph. Then tonight expect patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 43. Calm wind. Nothing says Mississippi like a day on the beach. But first let's visit our great friend and US Vet Mayor Darrell Berry & Friends in Wiggins, MS . Today it will be sunny with a high near 72. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Then tonight, expect to be be clear, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm. That's right, no fog in Wiggins, MS! WOW! Sunny all around the Pine Belt. Don't forget you can always check your current weather and 7 day forecast by visiting The Hattiesburg News Weather Center. Don't forget to tell your friends about Hattiesburg News. Again, have a Happy Friday!

BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – The William Carey Men's Basketball team opened conference play with a 76-70 victory over Blue Mountain Christian Thursday night at Tyler Gymnasium. "Give both teams credit for playing very hard tonight," said Head Coach  Steve Knight . "We controlled the second half, but they fought back every time. We made some big plays to fend them off. Proud of our guy's effort for 40 minutes. Blue Mountain will win their share of games in our league." Don't miss one game recap or update from your William Carey University Crusaders! Sign-Up to Hattiesburg News Today! Click the picture below. Ashton Campbell  got things going for Carey, opening the game with a three-point basket. BMCU responded with an 11-2 run to take the lead seven minutes into the game. The Carey offense stayed focused and with just under eight minutes left in the half, a  Makeem Roberts  three pointer gave the Crusaders a 22-21 lead. The Toppers quickly retook the lead on a Kam Carter jumper, but Campbell and Roberts followed with four straight points to put the Crusaders back in front. From there WCU pulled away to a six-point advantage with five minutes remaining but BMCU over the next minute cut the deficit to two points at 32-20. However,  Jamar Jenkins  and  Chad Jones  drained back-to-back three pointers to make it an eight-point lead for WCU with Carey going on to take a 40-35 lead into the break. In the opening minutes of the second half,  Ankerion Gross  and  Cam Brown  gave the Crusaders their largest lead of the night at 45-35. The Toppers would not go down without a fight and with twelve minutes on the clock managed to cut the deficit to 55-53. Carey responded over the next four minutes pushing the lead to eight at 62-54. Again, BMCU fought their way back within two points but would get no closer. From there the Crusaders quickly pushed their lead to six and sealed the victory making four of six free throws down the stretch. Despite losing the turnover battle in the second half the Crusaders out rebounded the Toppers 22-13 while getting 30 points off the bench for the game compared to 24 from Blue Mountain. Jamar Jenkins  led four Crusaders in double figures with fourteen points while  Cam Brown  and  Dylan Brumfield  each added thirteen points.  Makeem Roberts  finished with ten points and nine rebounds. Carey is back in action Saturday, as they take on UT-Southern in SSAC action. Play is set to begin at 2:00 pm.

BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – Triple overtime was needed to determine a winner but, in the end, it was William Carey that prevailed in the end 86-80 over Blue Mountain Christian Thursday night at Tyler Gymnasium. "It was a tough road conference test to start the season," said Head Coach  Tracy English . "We were able to make the plays we needed down the stretch to get the win." BMCU opened the scoring, but a layup and a made free throw by  Kolten Blakeney  put Carey ahead. From there Carey added to their lead, as  Rose Warren  and  Shaneal Corpuz  combined for nine points to put WCU up 12-4 halfway through the first quarter.   A  Meyah Doyle  layup a minute later made it a double-digit lead. However, the Lady Toppers over the next three minutes managed to cut the deficit to just five but a Warren jumper as time expired gave the Lady Crusaders a 16-9 lead heading into the second quarter BMCU opened the second quarter cutting the lead down to 17-13, but Warren, Blakeney, and Corpuz combined for seven straight points to push the WCU lead to eleven. Once again though, the Lady Toppers cut the deficit to just four with three minutes left, but Doyle and  Leah Sutton  put Carey up 31-20 heading into the break. Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net coming out of the break, as almost two minutes passed before Blakeney made one of two free throws to break the scoring drought.  Jenna Garriga  followed with a jumper and Corpuz made two free throws to give Carey their largest lead of the night at 36-20. From there the Lady Crusaders maintained a double-digit lead until the Lady Toppers over a one-minute span went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to just six at 44-38 with that score holding until the end of the quarter. BMCU continued to chip away at the WCU lead in the fourth quarter, but each time Carey answered to stay in front. However, with less than two minutes remaining, a three-point basket by Maddie Kirk gave the Lady Toppers their first lead of the game since the opening basket. With time winding down Corpuz was fouled under the basket sending her to the free throw line to potentially put WCU ahead. She would only convert one of the attempts, tying the game at 55 with twelve seconds left. With Blue Mountain having the last shot attempt in their hands the Carey defense held strong forcing the would be game winning shot to miss its mark, sending the game into overtime. BMCU opened the OT with the first basket but Sutton and Corpuz followed with baskets of their own to put Carey ahead 59-57. Once again, the Lady Crusaders maintained the lead with Blue Mountain right on their heels. With WCU leading 66-64 with five seconds left, Crystin Guy tied the game yet again with a layup. This time it was Carey that had the last look at trying to come out on top but just like WCU did in the fourth quarter, the Lady Toppers defense forced the jumper by Corpuz to miss its mark, sending the game into double overtime. The Lady Crusaders again retook the lead in the second overtime, building a 72-67 lead with two minutes to play. Over the final minutes, Blue Mountain clawed their way back to tie the game at 72. With twenty seconds on the clock, Corpuz looked to take the shot from the free throw line but decided to pull the ball back which opened a wide-open lane to the basket for the easy layup to put WCU back in front. On the ensuing Lady Toppers possession, Guy was fouled on her layup attempt, sending her to the free throw line where she converted both attempts, sending the game into a third overtime. In the third overtime, Carey found themselves trailing 78-74 after a minute of play but Sutton made what looked like a game tying three pointer was called a two pointer by the officials, as they quickly held up two fingers to signal that the shot was not a three point basket putting Carey down one point.   Freshman  Addyson Sherer  followed, scoring her first points of her collegiate career which gave the Lady Crusaders a 79-78 lead. Sherer made it a two-point lead making one of two free throws with Sutton pushing the lead to 82-78 with under a minute left in the overtime.   The Lady Toppers quickly made it a two-point game, but Blakeney pushed the Carey lead back to four with a jumper with Corpuz sealing the victory, converting both free throw attempts for the final margin. "I knew I had to get back defense and not let them score again," said Sherer. "I definitely felt the pressure, but it helped that I have been in that situation before. But I was extremely excited to have scored my first college points, I just could not show it yet.   Shaneal Corpuz  finished the game tying her career high in points with 29 while setting a new career high in rebounds with 18. "It's a good feeling tying my career high in points, but I am not quite satisfied with it," said Corpuz. I really wanted to get to that 30 mark, but I am more satisfied with the 18 rebounds than the 29 points." Kolten Blakeney  added 18 points while pulling down eleven boards. "We did a lot of great things in the last overtime defensively," said Blakeney. "We got a lot of great stops that changed the momentum of the game and allowed us to take back control of the of the offense. We really stepped up in the third overtime." Also finishing the game in double figures was  Leah Sutton  with ten points and one rebound shy of a double double. Carey is back in action Saturday, as they head to Pulaski, Tenn. to take on SSAC opponent UT-Southern. Play is set to begin at 12:00 pm.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The William Carey Volleyball Team opened the 2024 SSAC Championship, defeating both Life University and Blue Mountain Christian in straight sets at the Multi-Plex at Cramton Bowl. In their first match of the day, the Carey offense was firing on all cylinders at the start, opening the first set on an 8-1 run, with six of the points coming by way of a kill, block, or service ace. It was all WCU from there, as they stretched their lead to 18-8 before closing the set on a 7-1 run. Things were a little closer at the start of the second set, but with the Lady Crusaders leading 8-5 they pulled away for good behind a 6-0 run with four points coming off a kill and another from an ace. From there Carey cruised to a 25-11 second set victory. The third set was nothing like the first two at the start, as both teams traded shots with both teams taking turns with the lead. However, just like in the previous sets, the Lady Crusaders used a 5-0 run to take a 15-9 lead but the Eagles kept on fighting and managed to cut the deficit to just three points at 19-16 but would get no closer, as WCU closed the set on a 6-3 run to complete the sweep.  Suelen Lima  led the attack with fourteen kills while  Katarina Vulic  had thirty assists. Against the Toppers, Carey once again got off to a great start, as they picked up five kills and got two attack errors from BMCU to open the first set on a 7-1 run. The Lady Crusaders continued their attack stretching their lead to 21-7. However, the Toppers made the Carey faithful a little nervous, as they battled their way back to within just five points at 23-18 but WCU was not allowing the comeback, as  Marcella Hermont  and  Elaina Anderson  provided the final two points to seal the victory. The second set started just like the first, as the Lady Crusaders once again took the early lead, opening on a 10-1 run before pulling away to a 20-10 advantage. It looked as if the Toppers once again were going to make things interesting, but this time WCU was not having any of it, as they would not let BMCU get any closer than six points, before going on to take the set 25-18 and the 2-0 lead. Blue Mountain regrouped to start the third set, taking an early 6-4 lead but Carey quickly tied it at six behind back-to-back blocks from Vulic and Anderson. From there neither team led by more than two points until with the set tied at fourteen, the Lady Crusaders used three kills and an attack error by the Toppers to take an18-14 lead. It looked as if WCU had things well in hand, pulling away to a 24-18 advantage. However, Blue Mountain would not go quietly, as they rattled off six straight points to tie the set once again. Carey would not be denied, as Anderson again put WCU within one point of victory with Hermont and Anderson sealing the sweep with a block. Suelen Lima  led the offense with sixteen kills and twelve digs while  Sofia Bettini  finished with twelve kills and thirteen digs.  Katarina Vulic  picked up 39 assists with eleven digs with  Kayla Benedic  adding ten digs. Carey is back in action tomorrow, as they wrap up pool play against Faulkner University. Play is set to begin at 1:30 pm at the Multi-Plex at Cramton Bowl.

MONTGOMERY, Ala . – The William Carey Volleyball Team punched their ticket to the Finals of the SSAC Championship after defeating Faulkner University 3-0 to wrap up pool play and then taking down Loyola 3-1 in the semi-finals, Friday night at the Multi-Plex at Cramton Bowl. Against the Eagles, the Lady Crusaders wasted no time in the first set, building an early 11-5 lead. From there Carey took full advantage of multiple attack errors by Faulkner along with four kills and a service ace to take a 19-10 lead before going on to close the set on a 6-1 run. WCU got off to an even better start in the second set, opening the set with eight straight points. Of those eight points, three came by way of a block, one ace, and three kills. The Lady Crusader seized control of the set behind four kills and an ace to take a commanding 16-5 lead and never looked back, cruising to a 25-13 victory. Things were a little closer at the start of the third set, but with Carey leading 11-7, WCU made their move, as  Suelen Lima ,  Marcella Hermont , and  Barbara Guedes  provided three straight points on kills. After giving up the next point Lima got another kill followed by an ace from Guedes to give WCU a 16-9 lead. From there the Lady Crusaders pulled away to take the set 25-18 and the match. Suelen Lima  finished the match with fourteen kills and eleven digs.  Katarina Vulic  picked up 36 assists and eleven digs while  Sofia Bettini  added fifteen digs of her own. In the semi-final match against Loyola, both teams traded shots at the start. After a couple of unforced errors by Carey gave the Wofpack a 10-6 lead, the Lady Crusaders found themselves playing catch up. The WCU offense stayed the course and after falling down by as many as six, battled their way back to within one point on two different occasions before tying the set at twenty-one. After trading the next two points, Loyola picked up the next three points to take the 25-22 first set victory. The battle continued in the second set, as neither team led by more than two points until Carey took an 11-8 lead.  The Wolfpack quickly got back within one point but a service error by Loyola followed by back-to-back aces from Lima pushed the Lady Crusaders lead to 16-11. It was all WCU from there, as they cruised to a 25-16 victory to even the match. Nothing changed in the third set, as once again the largest lead of the set at the beginning was three points. With both teams looking for that bit of magic to break the set open, it was the Lady Crusaders that found it in the form of a 5-1 run. With the score 18-15 in favor of Carey, WCU got three kills from Bettini and Guedes with the other two points coming off an ace and an error. Lima got the Lady Crusaders to set point with  Elaina Anderson  bringing it home with a kill to give Carey the 25-19 win and the 2-1 lead. The fourth set saw the Wolfpack take an early 12-7 lead, but the Carey offense fought their way back behind four kills and two aces to tie the set at thirteen. Loyola quickly jumped back out in front 17-14 only to see the Lady Crusaders once again battle their way back, this time taking an 18-17 lead.  From there both teams took turns with the lead until a kill by Bettini gave WCU the lead for good at 22-21. Two errors by the Wolfpack offense proved costly, as they put Carey within one point of victory with Lima providing that point with a kill. Suelen Lima  led the way with 25 kills and 16 digs for an attacking percentage of .447 while  Sofia Bettini  finished with eleven kills and 16 digs.  Katarina Vulic  racked up 44 assists with  Kayla Benedic  finishing with 17 digs and  Marcella Hermont  having 15 digs. Carey is back in action tomorrow, as they take on Mobile in the finals of the SSAC Championship. Play is set to begin at 2:00 PM at the Multi-Plex at Cramton Bowl.