Buena Vista, VA - The Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team hosted their first home match of the season on Tuesday night in front of a deafening crowd of Knights faithful. The Knights showed flashes of brilliance, but ultimately dropped a competitive matchup to the Hornets from Lynchburg, 3-1.

Recent matchups between the two teams have yielded very close finishes and this one proved to be no different. The Hornets managed to jump out to an early lead and controlled play for much of the first set. The Knights were able to come within two points after a service ace from Ruby Blamires, but the Hornets were able to finish off the set to grab a 1-0 lead. Southern Virginia flipped the script in the second set and were led by strong play from seniors Sydney Bassett and Brenna Clyde. They took advantage of several Hornet miscues and scored five of the final six points to run away with set two, 25-17.

Momentum continued to sway back and forth the rest of the match. In the third frame, the Hornets led from start to finish to claim a 2-1 lead. Returning to the court for the fourth set, the Knights found their groove again and looked to send the match to a decisive fifth set. As the fans in Knight Arena nearly shook the building from its moorings, the Knights used a wave of momentum to vault themselves into the lead after a pair of kills from Katelyn Wankier and Baylee Savage. Savage would remain on the prowl and add another pair of kills to lift the Knights to their biggest lead at 17-12. However, Lynchburg went on a huge run to retake the lead and ultimately win the set to claim a 3-1 victory.

Sydney Bassett once again led the team in kills with 18 and played well defensively with 7 digs and two block assists. Brenna Cyde and Katelyn Wankier also played well at the net as they combined for a couple of key blocks. Both of them finished with three block assists. The libero Gracie Fulton was solid defensively while Ruby Blamires and Abbie Anderson combined for 4 service aces to lead the Knights in that category.

The Knights will stay close to home for their next three matches by participating in the W&L Tournament in Lexington, Virginia. They will face St. Mary's College of Maryland for their first match of the tournament on Friday, September 6th at 7:00 PM.

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