BUENA VISTA, VA. — Opening conference competition, the Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team hosted Pfeiffer University and Meredith College in Knight Arena for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. The Knights had a solid outing, defeating the Falcons in game one, 3-2, and sweeping the Avenging Angels 3-0.
Game One vs. Pfeiffer:
After falling 0-1 after the first set, the Knights were able to turn the match around, winning the following two sets. After tying everything up 2-2, Southern Virginia was forced into the fifth set.
The Falcons came out firing on all cylinders in the final set, jumping ahead 7-1 off a Faith Miller kill, but Sydney Bassett managed to stop the bleeding with a crucial kill from Sarah Hoofman. Bassett's helped the squad gain momentum, closing the gap to four points, 8-12 after a Pfeiffer service error.
Brookelyn Madland took advantage of the Falcons' mistake, recording a kill that ignited a 7-0 scoring run capped off by a Nikki Stevenson ace to win the set and match, 15-12.
Brenna Clyde led all players with 20 kills, followed by Bassett's 16, along with two aces.
Clyde was a menace at the net with four blocks, followed by Jilane Pedersen and Katelyn Wankier's three.
Defensively, Jessica Ensley led the game with 20 digs, while Ruby Blamires ended with nine.
Game Two vs. Meredith:
The Knights and Avenging Angels squared off in game two of the day, with Southern Virginia riding the momentum of their game one against Pfeiffer, racing to a 19-10 lead in set one.
Meredith closed the gap to one point, 20-21, but Brookelyn Madland added another kill to spark a 4-0 run to end the first set 25-20.
The second set saw both teams exchanging points and the lead, with the Avenging Angels finding themselves with set point, 24-22. However, four costly errors from Meredith gave Southern Virginia the 26-24 set victory.
The final set again featured a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with the score knotted at 13 midway through the third.
Two consecutive kills from Brenna Clyde brought the team to match point 24-22, and a final kill from Jilane Pedersen completed the sweep, taking the third set 25-23.
Madland and Bassett led the game with 12 and 11 kills, while Bassett added six huge blocks to help the team towards victory.
Sarah Hoofman had a solid outing quarterbacking the offense with a game-high 32 assists, while Madland anchored the defense with 14 digs.
The Knights continue conference play on the road against Mary Baldwin University on Tuesday, September 19, traveling to Staunton, Virginia for an early week game against the Fighting Squirrels. Game time is set for 7 pm.
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 X @knightwvolley.
