BUENA VISTA, VA. — For the second consecutive year, the Southern Virginia University Women's Volleyball team captured the USA South Conference Championship in a fully packed Knight Arena Saturday afternoon, sweeping William Peace, 3-0.
Following the match, senior Courtney Pinkston was awarded Tournament MVP, reclaiming her award that she won last year. Joining Pinkston, Emma Steiger, Sydney Hopkin, and Sage Matheny were named as All-Tournament Honorees.
"I am so happy for our seniors and the rest of our team," exclaimed Head Coach, Debby Baker. "We've come so far, and people do not understand the adversity we have had to overcome and what really goes on behind the scenes. One of our words that we used as a team was 'resilience' and were resilient tonight. I cannot explain how proud of the team I am."
Leading all players, Courtney Pinkston recorded 13 kills, with Brenna Clyde and Sydney Hopkin adding 11. Pinkston added three service aces while Emma Steiger had two, and Jessica Ensley added one. At the net, Jilane Pedersen and Clyde dominated with seven combined blocks.
At the beginning of the first, the Knights found themselves down 4-2, but Hopkin led a 7-1 run with four kills to put the team up 9-5. Later in the set, Southern Virginia extended their lead to eight points, following a 7-3 run led by a kill and a block by Clyde. Two final kills from Pinkston closed the first set, giving the Knights the 1-0 advantage with a 25-18 first set win.
Carrying their momentum into the second set, Southern Virginia raced ahead 5-0 after Pinkston recorded a kill and an ace. Late into the second, Clyde and Hopkin recorded consecutive kills, extending the team's lead to eight, 21-13. Clyde went on to tally the final kill of the set, giving the team the 25-18 win and the 2-0 advantage in the match.
William Peace punched back in the final set, going ahead 5-3, but the Knights did not let the Pacers celebrate long. Clyde jumpstarted a 7-2 scoring run to put the team up 9-6 and later, leading 4-0 charge with two kills, setting the team up with a 17-12 lead. Coming within two points of their second championship 23-16, William Peace did not go away easily, scoring three points. After a Hopkin kill, in her final moments in The Barn, Courtney Pinkston recorded the final kill of the match, and her final kill in Knight Arena, nailing in another trophy for the Knights.
Southern Virginia receives an automatic bid to the NCAA National Tournament, and await their selection and opponent on Monday, November 7. The live stream for the 2022 Women's Volleyball Selection Show can be viewed at NCAA.com.
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.
