Central, S.C. – Southern Wesleyan defeated the John Wesley Lions in a 3-0 final to advance to the NCCAA Regional Championship game.

The Warriors posted 43 kills in the victory over the Lions, with Olivia Johnson leading the team with sixteen kills. Annika Jones posted 33 assists. The Warriors posted five aces in the win, Jones led with three.  Anna Martin led the team with 15 digs. Southern Wesleyan posted four blocks.

Match Vitals

Set One Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, John Wesley 15

Set Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, John Wesley 12

Set Three Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, John Wesley 11

Records: Southern Wesleyan (17-13), John Wesley (15-13)

How It Happened

Set One

The Warriors scored first on an attack error by the Lions and was able to extend their lead to 5-4 with errors from John Wesley and kills by Olivia Johnson. The Warriors trailed for a few points until back to back aces from Annika Jones and kills from Kendall Vallancourt and Johnson gave the Warriors a 18-12 lead. Southern Wesleyan went on another serving run from Katie Anderson to pull ahead and win the first set 25-15.

Set Two

The Lions struck first in the second set, taking a 3-0 lead before a kill from Paige O'Connor put the Warriors on the board. The Warriors then went on a serving run from Annika Jones and kills from Olivia Johnson to take a 12-4 lead. The Lions fought back, but Southern Wesleyan charged ahead with errors from John Wesley and kills from Katie Anderson and Kendall Vallancourt to win the second set 25-12.

Set Three

The Warriors came out strong in the third set, taking a 5-0 lead with a kill and two service aces from Paige O'Connor. The Lions battled, but the Warriors were able to get on a serving run from Annika Jones and kills from Shelby Sheets to extend their lead to 19-9. John Wesley was able to score back-to-back points, but it wasn't enough before Kendall Vallancourt got on a serving run along with kills from Olivia Johnson and Sheets to win the final set 25-11.

What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will remain home and face the Emmanuel College Lions in the NCCAA Regional Championship on November 18 in Historic Tysinger at 12 p.m.