Buena Vista, VA - Tournament season has arrived for NCAA women's volleyball, and the Southern Virginia University Knights swept North Carolina Wesleyan to advance to the semifinal match of the USA South tournament.

Despite entering as heavy underdogs, Wesleyan quickly jumped on the Knights, combining solid defense with a red-hot attack to build a 19-17 lead in the first set. After a timeout from Head Coach Debby Baker, the reigning conference defensive player of the week, Katelyn Wankier, recorded two kills to swing the momentum back in the host team's favor.

Brenna Clyde hammered away for two kills to help the Knights rattle off the set's final six points, calming the nerves of the number one seed in the tournament.

In the second set, it was all Southern Virginia. Their attack returned to its typical, lethal form, led by Brenna Clyde, who delivered eight kills in the set. They also made it more difficult for their opponents to generate an attack. With the strong play of Gracie Fulton, who finished with 10 digs, the Knights cruised to a 2-0 set lead.

North Carolina Wesleyan presented a difficult challenge in the third and potential final frame. They jumped out to an early 8-5 lead, forcing the Knights to come from behind again. Southern Virginia's all-time leader in kills, Sydney Bassett, began to make her presence known with three quick kills in the middle of the set, but the score remained tight.

With her team clinging to a 20-19 lead, Brookelyn Madland came up big in the clutch, registering a kill to force a Wesleyan timeout as the Knights could smell a victory. Out of the break, Gracie Fulton provided the finishing touches on the night with two more service aces, punching the Knights' ticket to the tournament semifinal match.

Brenna Clyde was spectacular, finishing with 15 kills and a superb hitting percentage of .636. The Knights also racked up the service aces, producing twelve to the Bishops' three. Southern Virginia will host the first semifinal on Thursday, November 14th, at 6:00 in Knight Arena. They'll face the number five seed and defending tournament champions, Meredith College.

For the most up-to-date details and information on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightwvolleyball on Instagram.