Winston-Salem, NC - In the waning days of the regular season, a huge matchup was in-store as the Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team traveled south to Winston-Salem for a matchup with Salem College. The teams, locked in a battle for first place in the USA South, did not disappoint and brought fans an exciting match. Unfortunately for the Knights, Salem claimed victory, 3-2, in a five-set thriller.
Southern Virginia came out firing in the first set, looking for a repeat of their victory over Salem earlier in the season. Brookelyn Madland set the tone, delivering several kills and recording four service aces in the first set. The Knights led by as much as eight and cruised to a victory to take an early lead, 1-0.
In the ensuing sets, the Spirits fought back on their home court, taking advantage of several Southern Virginia attacking errors to establish a quick lead. The new momentum helped Salem win the second and third sets to retake the lead, putting the Knights on the brink of defeat.
Summer Hahn was a force not to be reckoned with at the net. A block and kill by her on back-to-back points lifted the Knights to an early lead, but there was still work to be done. After relinquishing the lead and the Knights trailing 21-22, they rattled off four of the next five points to force a decisive fifth set. However, despite their resilience, Salem was victorious by a strong start to the fifth to take full control of first place in the conference standings.
Brookelyn Madland stood out, finishing with 20 kills and five service aces. Sydney Bassett and Brenna Clyde joined her in double digit kills, finishing with 16 and 13, respectively. Gracie Fulton and Summer Hahn were solid defensively, leading the team in digs and blocks.
The Knights will now shift their focus to Saturday, November 2nd, as they return home to host a tri-match. They'll face Pfeiffer in their first match at 12:00 PM, followed by a match with the defending conference champions, Meredith, at 4:00 PM. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightwvolleyball on Instagram.
