VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. — The Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team opened their 2021 season Friday night, defeating the University of Mary Washington in four sets, 3-1. The victory marks the first win over the Eagles in program history. 

Coach's Corner

"I am so happy for our girls," stated head coach Debby Baker. "We have been talking about this match since last season. It feels so good to e back and playing. I've talked to the team about UMW from day one, and I knew we could do it. In the end, we hit the ball and served tough, and I'm so proud of our effort today."

Notable Players

Courtney Pinkston: Team-high 11 kills, five blocks

Brenna Clyde: 10 kills, team-high kill percentage (.400), team-high six blocks

Elle Warnick: 37 assists, 11 digs, team-high three service aces

Emma Steiger: Game-high 20 digs

Game Notes

Set One:

• Knights opened the match, building a quick 10-2 lead, led by two service aces and one kill by Courtney Pinkston
• Both teams traded points, with Southern Virginia maintaining the eight-point lead off of three Taryn Kartchner kills
• Midway through the set, Elle Warnick sparked a 7-2 run for the Knights, building their lead to 11, 22-11
• After a quick two-point run by the Eagles, Brenna Clyde and Sydney Hopkin each add a kill before an attacking error by Mary Washington secured the set win 

Set Two:

• The Eagles bounced back, coming out hot in the second with a 7-3 advantage
• Katelyn Chamberlain took matters into her own hands with two kills and a service ace, sparking a 6-2 run to knot the score at nine apiece
• Each team exchanged scoring runs, but Mary Washington locked in the set win with an 11-3 run to end the second and tie the match 1-1

Set Three:

• The third set saw both teams go back and forth before the Knights used a 6-1 led by two Brenna Clyde kills extended their lead to five, 9-4. 
• Southern Virginia capitalized on the Eagles' attacking errors, along with two Courtney Pinkston kills and two Emma Steiger service aces to double up Mary Washington 18-9
• The Eagles continued to struggle with attacking and service errors, while Katelyn Chamberlain led the squad the remainder of the set with two kills and a service ace to give the Knights the 2-1 lead

Set Four:

• Southern Virginia wasted no time in the final set of the match, cruising to a quick 17-8 advantage off of three Brenna Clyde points, followed closely by Courtney Pinkston with two
• Mary Washington did not back down from the challenge, using a 9-2 run of their own to bring their deficit to two points 19-17, hopeful of forcing a fifth set
• Pinkston and Clyde stopped the bleeding for Southern Virginia, putting the Knights three points away from the match victory
• The Eagles again brought the score within two 22-20, but three consecutive attacking errors gave Southern Virginia the set and match win

The Knights continue play at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament Saturday, September 4th. Southern Virginia will take on Mt. Aloysius at noon and Geneva at 2 pm. 

Follow the women's volleyball team @knightwvolleyball on Instagram and @knightwvolley on Twitter for more updates and details.