Brevard, NC - After several days of much-needed rest from competition, the Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team traveled to western North Carolina for a tri-match with Brevard College and the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan. After a thrilling yet disappointing five-set loss to Brevard in their first match, the Knights bounced back to earn their first conference win of the season with a sweep of the Bishops.

After losing the first set against Brevard, Southern Virginia won the next two sets to take the lead thanks to stellar defensive play from Gracie Fulton and Summer Hahn. Fulton finished the match with 28 digs, and Hahn added five blocks. Brevard eventually regained the momentum and won the final two sets by only six combined points. Sydney Bassett led the team with 13 kills and had a stellar all-around performance.

The Knights' second match of the day was all Southern Virginia. Their leading attackers, Sydney Bassett, Brenna Clyde, and Brookelyn Madland, produced the first three kills to help the team vault to an early lead. An 11-3 run by the Knights later on put the first set out of reach, and a service ace by Gracie Fulton clinched the set to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. The next two sets generated just as much success as the first. Summer Hahn continued her dominant play at the net and put together another five-block performance to lead the team in that category. Two more service aces from Gracie Fulton left them with a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into the third frame. NC Wesleyan showed promise at the beginning of the third set when they created a 9-4 lead, but Southern Virginia was able to weather the storm and slowly cut into the deficit. In a total team effort, the Knights regained the lead at 12-11 and never looked back. A couple of solo blocks from Brookelyn Madland and Katelyn Wankier seemed to deflate the Battling Bishops as the finishing touches of the match were delivered by another service ace from Gracie Fulton.

The victory brings the Knights to 1-1 in conference play. All but one game on the remainder of their schedule will be against USA South opponents, a conference that has become extremely competitive since Southern Virginia's arrival just three seasons ago. The Knights will travel to Staunton, Virginia, next Tuesday for a match with Mary Baldwin at 6:00 PM. 

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