Winston-Salem, N.C. - In the penultimate weekend of the regular season and when they needed it most, the Southern Virginia University women's volleyball team collected two wins to close out October and vault into second in the USA South standings.
Game One
The Knights dueled with the hosts, Salem, in the first match of their back-to-back set.
After trailing behind two sets and facing the possibility of a sweep, Southern Virginia showed great poise to win the next three and win in dramatic fashion, inching closer to Salem in the standings as a result.
Ryann Vail was a wall at the net, seemingly rejecting everything that came in her direction on the way to a career high of 12 blocks. She combined with Baylee Mirabal on a block for the game-clinching point in the fifth.
Anne Downs collected another 20 kills and posted a double-double along with Mirabal and Chloe Murray.
Game Two
Looking to avenge an early season loss to William Peace, the Knights were off and running in their second match of the day. They cruised to a first set victory before splitting the next two sets, each of which was decided by just two points.
Southern Virginia dominated in the third, finishing off the Pacers in short order to finish the week on a three game winning streak. Chloe Murray nearly joined the 50-assist club, totaling 49 to establish a new career high.
Anne Downs recorded her third game of at least 20 kills this week, finishing with 23 for her own career high and ninth most in a game in program history.
Looking Ahead
The two wins coupled with two losses from Salem allowed the Knights to jump into second place in the conference standings, one game behind Greensboro. Next, they'll visit N.C. Wesleyan on Tuesday, November 3rd at 3:00 PM.
For the most up-to-date details and information on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightwvolleyball on Instagram.
