By james art Winston-Salem, North Carolina – In the final days of the regular season, a huge matchup was in store as the Southern Virginia University women’s volleyball team traveled south to Winston-Salem for a matchup with Salem College. The teams, locked in a battle for first place in the US South, did not disappoint and brought an exciting game to the fans. Unfortunately for the Knights, Salem earned a 3-2 victory in a five-set thriller.
Southern Virginia came out firing in the first set, looking for a repeat of its win over Salem earlier in the season. Brooklyn Madland set the tone, delivering several kills and recording four service aces in the first set. The Knights led by as many as eight and cruised to victory to take an early 1-0 lead.
In the ensuing sets, the Spirits fought back on their home court, taking advantage of several Southern Virginia offensive errors to build a quick lead. The new momentum helped Salem win the second and third sets to regain the lead, putting the Knights on the brink of defeat.
Summer Hahn was a force not to be reckoned with on the web. A block and kill from her on back-to-back points gave the Knights an early lead, but there was still work to be done. After giving up the lead and the Knights trailing 21-22, they won four of the next five points to force a decisive fifth set. Still, despite their resilience, Salem rallied to a strong start in fifth place to take full control of first place in the conference standings.
Brooklyn Madland stood out, finishing with 20 kills and five service aces. Sidney Bassett and Brenna Clyde joined her in double-digit kills, finishing with 16 and 13, respectively. Gracie Fulton and Summer Hahn were solid defensively, leading the team in digs and blocks.
The Knights will now turn their attention to Saturday, Nov. 2 when they return home to host a three-game sweep. They will face Pfeiffer in their first game at 12:00 p.m., followed by a matchup with defending conference champion Meredith at 4:00 p.m. For the most up-to-date team information and details, visit knightathletics.com and follow @ knightwvolleyball on Instagram.