Buena Vista, VA - Students of Southern Virginia University and the rest of the Knights faithful filled Knight Arena to the brim for the first semifinal of the USA South women's volleyball tournament. In a matchup featuring the last three tournament champions, the Knights dominated Meredith College, winning in straight sets with scores of 25-18, 25-13, 25-8.

Meredith came out determined to pull off their second straight upset in the tournament. However, the Knights were undeterred and drew even with their opponents through the first twelve points, 6-6. Southern Virginia produced their first multi-point lead of the set thanks to several service aces delivered by Ruby Blamires and Brookelyn Madland.

Brenna Clyde picked up where she left off in their first-round match, converting on several attacks. Senior Jessica Stone also provided excellent defense, recording multiple digs that led to points at key stages of the opening set.

After a 25-18 victory in set one, the Knights quickly jumped on the attack in the second frame to build an early 10-4 lead. Sydney Bassett was a force and showed everyone why she was voted Player of the Year in the conference. Bassett combined with Summer Hahn for two consecutive blocks as the Knights cruised to a 2-0 lead, putting themselves on the cusp of another spot in the championship match.

Despite the comfortable lead, Southern Virginia showed no signs of slowing down. Their middle blockers seemed unbreachable. As dominant as the Knights were at the net, Gracie Fulton was equally as good in the back row, nearly recording 30 digs for the third time this season.

With the Knights leading 22-8 in the third, Sydney Bassett would handle the rest by recording a kill and two service aces to send the Knights into the USA South Tournament Final. Bassett's 13 kills with a .522 hitting percentage led the way, while Summer Hahn's five block assists and Ruby Blamires' 29 assists were tops in the match.

In addition to several brilliant individual performances, the Knights accomplished a rare feat by finishing with a perfect side-out percentage. Each time the Knights successfully received a Meredith serve, Southern Virginia would earn that point.

As the top seed in the conference, the Knights will host the USA South championship match on Saturday, November 16th, in Knight Arena. They'll face the number two seed in the tournament, Salem, for the title and a guaranteed spot in the NCAA Tournament.

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