LEXINGTON, KY. — The Southern Virginia University Women's Volleyball team traveled to Transylvania University to compete in the first round of the NCAA DIII Women's Volleyball Championships, taking on Carnegie Mellon University. The depth and experience of the Tartans proved to be too much for the Knights, sweeping Southern Virginia and putting an end to the team's season.
Head Coach, Debby Baker, on the Team's Game Plan for the Tartans:
"They are a tall team, and taller than we are. Our strategy going into the game was to serve tough and force them out of system, but we unfortunately were unable to do that tonight."
Sydney Hopkin led the offense with nine kills while Jilane Pedersen recorded three blocks and freshman Sage Matheny tallied 13 digs on the defensive side of the ball.
After trailing 6-2 to start the match, Hopkin led the team on a 5-0 with two kills to grab the lead from the Tartans 7-6. The Knights extended their lead to three points, 12-9, off a service error, but leapfrogged the team 14-12 with five unanswered points. The teams went back and forth the remainder of the set before a kill from Kia Herchenroether gave Carnegie Mellon the 25-23 set win.
Keeping the opposition at arm's reach, Southern Virginia kept the score close in the second 6-6, before briefly falling behind 14-10. The Knights punched back, bringing the set within one point, 15-16, but Carnegie Mellon went on to take the second set 25-18 with a final 4-0 scoring run.
The Knights did not go away easily, grabbing an early 6-3 advantage in the final set of the match, before the Tartans answered back with six consecutive points to grab the 10-6 lead. Carnegie Mellon did not hold back, hitting .357 in the final set, eventually completing the sweep with the 25-15 third set victory.
Southern Virginia will keep their heads held high, looking to next year in order to build on the team's current success while filling shoes for graduating players. The Knights look to win their third consecutive USA South Conference Championship and make another run at competing for a national championship in 2023.
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.
