Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the King Tornado in three sets on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors had 46 kills with three players posting double digits. Megan Gilliland totaled 11 kills with both Ainsley Stovall and Karson Haley each having 10 kills. Setters Amiyah Spann and Katie Fulton each had double digits in assists. Fulton picked up 18 with Spann following with 16. Both Spann and Fulton had two service aces.
Defensively, the Warriors were able to collect 94 total digs. Calie Covey led the Warriors with 29. Michaela Andress (17) and Alexxis Wader (10) also had double digits in digs. The Warriors had nine blocks in the game with Sarah Mitchell leading the team with three.
Match Vitals
Set One Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, King 12
Set Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, King 22
Set Three Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, King 22
Records: Southern Wesleyan (12-9 / CC 10-7) King (9-14 / CC 7-9)
How It Happened
Set One
A kill by Isabel Krick allowed the Tornado to take the first point of the opening set. The Warriors answered as Megan Gilliland and Michaela Andress laid down back-to-back kills. Amaya Hall set the ball up to Krick who got down another kill to allow King to regain the lead. The lead was short lived as Amiyah Spann served up an ace to allow the Warriors to regain the lead. A kill off the hands of Ainsley Stovall kicked off a five point run for the Warriors so they were able to extend their lead to 12-7. Katie Fulton served up two aces, and then Gilliland laid down several kills. King challenged as Gracia Love got in a kill. However, Karson Haley drilled the ball past the Tornado for them to take the first set in a 25-12 final.
Set Two
Megan Gilliland laid down two early kills to put Southern Wesleyan on top early in the second set. King answered as kills by Riley Nelson and Chloe Clayton allowed the Tornado to tie the set up at three. Ainsley Stovall, Briley Wolff and Karson Haley got down repeated kills to give Southern Wesleyan a 7-3 point lead. The Warriors continued their attacks as Haley and Wolff got in several more kills. The Tornado answered as a kill by Isabel Krick allowed them to kick off a four point scoring run. Sarah Mitchell and Megan Gilliland blocked the next attack by Princess Emma Oluwa. Oluwa's next attack paid off to allow King to stay within four. The Tornado challenged once again, but it wasn't enough as Megan Gilliland laid down a kill to allow the Warriors to take the second set in a 25-22 final.
Set Three
King charged out of the gate in the final set of the match as kills by Isabel Krick and Princess Emma Oluwa allowed the Tornado to take a 4-0 point advantage. Katie Fulton set the ball up to Micheala Andress. Andress slammed the ball to the ground to get the Warriors on the board. The Tornado continued to press ahead with another kill by Krick. Southern Wesleyan would not back down as Briley Wolff and Ainsley Stovall got down a couple of kills. A couple attack errors by the Tornado allowed the Warriors to come to within three points of King. The Warriors continued their challenges as Karson Haley blocked an attack by Oluwa. An ace by Amiyah Spann tied the set up at sixteen. King regained the lead, but it was not enough as Megan Gilliland got in a kill and then Sarah Mitchell blocked another attack by Oluwa. The Warriors went on to take the final set in a 25-22 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will hit the road to Franklin Springs, GA on November 5 to take on the Emmanuel Lions. They will then travel to Mars Hill, NC to take on the Mars Hill Lions on November 7 at 6pm. The Warriors will host the Erskine Flying Fleet on November 8.
