Milledgeville, GA – Southern Wesleyan split the final two matches at the Bobcat Classic on Saturday afternoon.  The Warriors started strong with a 3-0 victory over the Golden Rams of Albany State before dropping the evening match against the hosting Georgia College Bobcats in a 3-1 final.

The Warriors recorded 34 kills in the first set with Emily Ellis leading the team with 12.  Michaela Andress had nine kills.  Cara Martin led the Warriors with 15 assists with Ashley Sexton right behind her with 14. The Warriors had 41 digs with libero Kristina Pino picking up 16.  Gracie Wilson blocked four attacks.

Southern Wesleyan totaled 45 kills in their second match of the afternoon.  Angel Jimenez led the team with 13 kills with Megan Gilliland following her with 11.  Ashley Sexton picked up 18 assists.  Both Michaela Andress and Gracie Wilson had three aces.  Kristina Pino led the team with 21 of the 71 digs.
 
 

 
Match Vitals

Southern Wesleyan vs Albany State
Set One Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Albany State 21
Set Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Albany State 16
Set Three Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Albany State 21
 
Southern Wesleyan vs Georgia College
Set One Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Georgia College 22
Set Two Final: Georgia College 25, Southern Wesleyan 20
Set Three Final: Georgia College 25, Southern Wesleyan 15
Set Four Final: Georgia College 25, Southern Wesleyan 19
 
Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-2) Georgia College (3-0) Albany State (0-3)
 
 
 
How It Happened
Southern Wesleyan vs Albany State
Set One
Albany State took the first point of the set, but Michaela Andress killed the ball seconds later to tie the set up.  The Golden Rams persevered taking a 5-2 lead before kills by Gracie Wilson and Emily Ellis allowed the Warriors to tie the set back up.  Albany State continued to attack, but the Warriors' prevented their attacks from paying off.  An assisted block by Angel Jimenez and Gracie Wilson put Southern Wesleyan on top by three.  Emily Ellis killed the ball to give the Warriors a 25-21 first set victory.
 
Set Two
Southern Wesleyan charged out of the gate in the second set of the morning as Megan Gilliland and Gracie Wilson blocked the attack by Natalie Onozie to give the Warriors a 3-0 point lead.  They continued to push ahead with kills by Emily Ellis, Cara Martin and Angel Jimenez.  A kill by Jarianis Perez kept the Golden Rams within seven, but the Warriors were not discouraged as they continued to distance themselves with kills by Michaela Andress and Gilliland.  A final run allowed the Warriors to claim the second set in a 25-16 point final.
 
Set Three
The Golden Rams struck first once again in the third set as Jarianis Perez put down a kill.  However the Warriors countered as attack errors by Albany State and a kill by Gracie Wilson allowed them to take a 4-1 point lead.  They continued to distance themselves from the Golden Rams on kills by Emily Ellis and Angel Jimenez.  Albany State fought back as aces by Khamari Trotter put them on top 12-11.  Southern Wesleyan would not back down as a block by Gavrielle Elswick allowed the Warriors to regain the lead.  The Warriors extended their lead to three points on kills by Angel Jimenez and an ace by Kristina Pino.  Megan Gilliland killed the ball for the twenty-fifth point of the game to give the Warriors a 25-21 victory in the final set.
 
 
Southern Wesleyan vs Georgia College
Set One
Southern Wesleyan charged out of the gates as attack errors by Georgia College and a kill by Gracie Wilson allowed the Warriors to take a 4-2 point lead.  Back-to-back aces by Michaela Andress extended the Warriors lead to six points.  Megan Gilliland and Trinity Eichman each put down kills.  The Warriors continued to distance themselves from the Bobcats as Angel Jimenez killed the ball.  Georgia College fought back on kills by Brooke Roberts and Rachel Machovec.  However, the Warriors continued to push ahead on more kills by Andress and Jimenez.  Jimenez killed the ball to give the Warriors a 25-22 point victory in the first set.
 
Set Two
The Warriors struck first in the second set on a kill by Megan Gilliland.  However, the lead was short lived as the Bobcats took four consecutive points from kills by Mary Kate Kotzin and Rachel Machovec.  Kills by Ashley Sexton and Gilliland kept the Warriors within one point of the Bobcats.  Back-to-back kills by Machovec allowed Georgia College to take a five point lead.  Southern Wesleyan maintained the intensity as Michaela Andress put down an ace and Emily Ellis killed the ball to put the Warriors back within two.  However, the Bobcats won out as they claimed a 25-20 second set victory.
 
Set Three
The Bobcats took the first points of the third set on kills by Mary Kate Kotzin and Rosa Fisher, but a kill by Megan Gilliland put the Warriors on the board seconds later.  Georgia College pushed ahead on blocks by Abby Infante and Camryn Carlton.  The Warriors challenged as kills by Angel Jimenez kept them within seven points, but the Bobcats would not relent their attacks as they pushed ahead to an eight point lead on a kill by Callie Miller.  Despite late kills by Michaela Andress, the Bobcats claimed the third set in a 25-15 final.
 
Set Four
The Warriors took an early 2-1 point lead in the fourth set on a kill by Michaela Andress.  They continued to push ahead with kills by Megan Gilliland and Ashley Sexton.  However, an ace by Lilly Swanson tied the set up 4-4.  Georgia College took the lead on a kill by Camryn Carlton and pushed ahead on several blocks, but the Warriors countered with a kill of their own by Andress.  Back-to-back kills by Emily Ellis and Megan Gilliland allowed the Warriors to stay within five points of the Bobcats.  Ellis served the ball for back-to-back aces to put Southern Wesleyan down 19-17 to Georgia College.  The Bobcats continued to press as they won the final set in a 25-19 final.
 
 
 
 
What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will travel to Franklin Springs, GA next on September 8-9 where they will take part in the Lions' Den Tournament hosted by the Emmanuel Lions.  The Warriors will face the Wingate Bulldogs (10:30 am) and the Lee Flames (3:30 pm) on September 8, before they face the Shorter Hawks (3 pm) on September 9.  They will then travel to Due West, SC to open up Conference Carolinas action against the Erskine Flying Fleet on September 15.