BUENA VISTA, VA. — After a clean sweep against Salem College, the Southern Virginia University Women's Volleyball team advanced to their second-consecutive USA South Conference Championship Thursday night, taking down the Spirits 3-0.
Brenna Clyde dominated in the match, recording a game-high eight kills with six blocks. Sydney Hopkin followed with eight kills while Jilane Pedersen added seven with four blocks. Clyde and Pedersen had their best outings on the year, with Clyde hitting .615 while Pedersen hit .778.
How It Happened:
The Knights set the tempo early on, going ahead 9-5 led by two Clyde kills. Later in the set, Southern Virginia used a 5-0 run to extend their lead to eight points, 24-16 before a service error from Salem gave the Knights the 25-17 set victory.
Salem did not go away easily, keeping Southern Virginia within one point throughout the second set. Pinkston and Sage Matheny started a 9-3 run, extending their lead to seven points, 16-9. In the run, Ashley Torbenson showcased two aces, electrifying the team. The two teams went back and forth the remainder of the set before Clyde and Torbenson denied the final attack from Salem, closing the second set with a block to take the 2-0 advantage.
The Knights and Sage Matheny did not waste any time in the final set, with Matheny logging back-to-back aces, putting the squad up 2-0. The aces jumpstarted the team to go ahead 11-4 early in the third led by three Hopkin kills. The Spirits briefly stopped the bleeding off a Southern Virginia attacking error before Tatum Matheny and Pinkston led the team on a 9-2 run to ahead 20-7. A final kill from Clyde completed the sweep for the Knights, advancing to the conference championship for the second consecutive year.
Up Next:
The championship match is now set as William Peace will head to Southern Virginia on Saturday, November 5. The Knights will attempt to defend its tournament title from a year ago while the Pacers seek the program's first crown.
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.
