Lynchburg, VA - The Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team picked up their second victory of the season with a thrilling road win over the Wildcats of Randolph College, 3-2.

After two consecutive wins over the weekend, the Wildcats pounced on the Knights early in set one. Randolph took the first four points of the match before Southern Virginia began an onslaught of attacks themselves. It took some time, but the Knights acquired their first lead of the evening courtesy of a service ace from Brookelyn Madland to make the score 18-17. Randolph would retake the lead only moments later, but Madland and Sydney Bassett combined for four consecutive points to secure a set victory and a 1-0 lead for Southern Virginia.

The second set followed a similar trend, with the home team jumping out to an early advantage, forcing the Knights to claw their way back into contention. Once again, Brookelyn Madland led the charge back to the lead, converting on three consecutive attacks to single-handedly vault her team into the lead at 15-13. At set point, freshman Summer Hahn jumped in on the action to produce the set-clinching kill and a chance to sweep.

Randolph looked to flip the script in the third set and keep their hopes alive for a third straight victory. However, service aces from Baylee Savage, Gracie Fulton, and Ruby Blamires helped Southern Virginia to a lead that grew to as much as five at 13-8. The Wildcats however, showed great resolve by scoring five straight points to recapture the lead and played a much better second half of the set. Ultimately, Randolph won the third set to send the match to an important fourth frame. Unfortunately for Southern Virginia, the fourth set was all Randolph who forced a winner-take-all fifth set.

The Wildcats took their momentum into the final frame and held an 8-6 lead when the two teams switched sides for the final time. Undeterred, Sydney Bassett led the Knights back to even, and with two clutch kills from Brenna Clyde, they found themselves with the lead at match point, 14-13. Randolph answered with two points to put the Knights on the brink, but Brookelyn Madland extended the game with a kill, and senior Jessica Stone created another match point with a service ace of her own. After a marathon of a match, an attacking error from Mackenzie Woodson of Randolph gave Southern Virginia a much-needed victory.

With her 25 kills, Sydney Bassett now sits tied for #3 all-time at Southern Virginia University for kills in a match, only two behind the program record of 27 set in 2021. Bassett was also not the only Knight to move herself into the record books. Sophomore Ruby Blamires surpassed her previous career-high and recorded 53 assists, placing her tied for #2 all-time for assists in a single match, only one assist shy of the all-time mark that has stood for over ten years.

The Knights will remain on the road for two matches at Bridgewater College this weekend. Both matches will take place on Saturday, September 14th, the first at 1:00 PM against Hollins University.

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