BRIDGEWATER, VA. — The Southern Virginia University Women's Volleyball team traveled north for a doubleheader matchup against Shenandoah University and Bridgewater College Saturday morning. The Knights advanced to 5-5 on the year taking down both the Hornets and the Eagles 3-1.
Game One: Shenandoah
Set One:
- The Knights made quick work of the first set, jumping ahead 13-6 midway through the first
- The Hornets fought back, coming within three points 14-11, but Southern Virginia used an 11-6 scoring run to take the first set 25-17 off a final Ashley Torbeson kill
Set Two:
- Shenandoah regrouped in the second, going ahead 6-2 after capitalizing on three attacking errors by Southern Virginia
- The Knights were not phased, grabbing the lead back 13-9 after Brenna Clyde sparked an 11-3 scoring run
- Southern Virginia maintained the lead throughout the set finding themselves with the 23-14 lead after Jilane Pedersen and Sydney Hopkin recorded the block
- The Hornets were able to score three consecutive points at the end, but a kill from Hopkin and a final error by Shenandoah locked in the 25-17 set win, putting the team up 2-0 in the match
Set Three:
- Both teams went back and forth in the third, trading points and the lead throughout the set
- Towards the end, the Hornets held the 22-20 lead, but a kill from Courtney Pinkston and back-to-back aces from Jessi Fietkau put the squad ahead 23-22
- Shenandoah rattled off three consecutive points to deny the sweep and steal the third set from the Knights 25-23, making the match score 2-1
Set Four:
- Southern Virginia dominated the beginning of the fourth set, racing ahead 15-5 off three kills and two aces from Courtney Pinkston
- The Hornets clawed back, using an 8-1 scoring run to come within three points 16-13
- The Knights denied any hope of a comeback, closing out the set with a 9-2 run led by two Katelyn Chamberlain aces to take the set 25-15, and the 3-1 match victory
Game Two: Bridgewater
Set One:
- Midway through the first, the Knights used a 3-0 run to pull ahead 18-14 and not look back
- Bridgewater was able to come within two points later, but a final 5-1 scoring run sparked by Ashley Torbeson propelled Southern Virginia to the 25-19 set victory, going up 1-0 in the match
Set Two:
- Both teams were deadlocked at ten and the Knights and the Eagles exchanged punches throughout the second before Bridgewater used a late 5-2 run to jump ahead 21-17
- A final kill from Kylie Robinson evened the match 1-1 with a 25-21 set victory for the Eagles
Set Three:
- Up one point 9-8 in the third, Brenna Clyde led the team on a 6-0 scoring run to take the 15-8 lead
- The Eagles added two consecutive points, but Sydney Hopkin ignited another 8-2 run to set up a 23-12 score late in the set
- After letting up a point to Bridgewater, Sydney Hopkin used a final kill to lock in the 25-13 third set win to push the team ahead 2-1
Set Four:
- Southern Virginia found themselves down 19-13 late in the final set of the match, but costly attacking errors and kills from Pinkston and an ace from Emma Steiger even the score up at 20
- Bridgewater saw themselves with set point 24-22, but Brenna Clyde stepped up with a huge kill
- Sydney Hopkin followed up Clyde's kill with an even bigger kill to force overtime
- Jessica Ensley shifted the momentum to the Knights with a service ace to bring the team with match point
- A final attacking error by the Eagles locked in the 26-24 set win and 3-1 match victory
Up Next
Southern Virginia begins USA South Conference play on September 21, traveling to Staunton, Virginia to take on Mary Baldwin University at 6 pm. Visit knightathletics.com for live stats and streaming options.
Follow the women's volleyball team @knightwvolleyball on Instagram and @knightwvolley on Twitter for more updates and details on the team.
