BUENA VISTA, VA. — The Southern Virginia University Women's Volleyball team welcomes Eastern Mennonite University and Salem College to Knight Arena for two mid-week matchups. The Knights take a brief pause from conference competition on Tuesday, October 18, taking on EMU at 6 pm, then resume league play against Salem on Thursday, October 20, for the team's senior night at 6 pm.  
 
Impact Players:
Courtney Pinkston continues to be the primary target on the offensive side of the ball, leading the team with 355 kills, ranking No. 6 in the nation in total kills, followed by Sydney Hopkin with 217. Brenna Clyde is coming off a monster week, recording 41 kills and a .366 hitting average, and sits just behind Hopkin in total kills with 214.
 
Sage Matheny will quarterback the offense, looking for her big three in Pinkston, Hopkin, and Clyde, coming into the game with 497 total assists.
 
Emma Steiger will anchor the defense, sitting No. 7 in the nation for digs with 484 and ranks 20^th in the nation in service aces with 54 on the year.
 
Jilane Pedersen will look to continue being a menace at the net, averaging just under one block per set while tabbing 66 total blocks on the season.
 
Against Eastern Mennonite:
The Knights hold a perfect 4-0 record over the Royals, with Southern Virginia only losing one set to EMU in program history.
 
The first matchup came in 2017, resulting in a sweep, with Penny Gwynn leading the offense with 14 kills while Hannah Allred followed with 11. Allred led all players with four aces and added 11 digs to her night.
 
Southern Virginia most recently squared off against the Royals in 2020 on the road, coming away with the 3-0 sweep, led by 14 kills and three blocks from Kaely Rath. Emma Steiger dominated her serves, recording seven aces while Elle Warnick dished out a game-high 27 assists.
 
Against Salem:
The Knights have yet to fall to the Spirits, holding a clean slate over Salem 3-0 all time, losing only one set in program history to the team.
 
All three matches have come in the past year, with Southern Virginia facing Salem twice last year in October, and most recently taking down the Spirits three weeks ago in four sets on the road.
 
In the most recent matchup, Courtney Pinkston led all players with 17 kills, along with four aces, while Jilane Pedersen and Ashley Torbenson both recorded six blocks. Freshman Sage Matheny rounded out the stats, dishing out 40 assists.
 
Keys to the Game:

• Serve tough to keep the opposition out of system
• Hit better, and accumulate a higher hitting percentage

 
For the most up to date information regarding Southern Virginia University Women's Volleyball, visit knightathletics.com and follow the team on Instagram @knightwvolleyball and on Twitter @knightwvolley.