Wilson, NC – Southern Wesleyan fell in four sets to the Barton Bulldogs on Saturday in a 3-1 final.
The Warriors totaled 42 kills in the loss to the Bulldogs. Sarah Mitchell and Briley Wolff each had 11 kills. Of the 40 assist in the match, freshman Lily Clarkson led the team with 21. Behind her, Amiyah Spann had 17. Clarkson went on to have three aces.
Defensively, the Warriors accumulated 56 digs. Faith Paxton had 16 digs in the match. The other Warrior in double digits in digs was Alexxis Wader with 12. Sarah Mitchell had four of the Warriors 10 blocks.
Match Vitals
Set One Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Barton 19
Set Two Final: Barton 25, Southern Wesleyan 16
Set Three Final: Barton 25, Southern Wesleyan 23
Set Four Final: Barton 25, Southern Wesleyan 23
Records: Southern Wesleyan (9-8 / CC 7-6) Barton (6-13 / CC 4-8)
How It Happened
Set One
A service ace by Paige Bagwell allowed the Bulldogs to claim the first point of the opening set. However, the Warriors took the led shortly afterwards on an ace by Lily Clarkson. Clarkson set the ball up to Sarah Mitchell who drilled it past the Bulldogs to allow the Warriors to extend their lead to two. That jump started a six point run for Southern Wesleyan that ended in a kill off the hands of Ellie Moore to give them an 11-4 point advantage. Moore got the ball down for several more kills, but a kill by Madeline Hope kept Barton within seven. The Bulldogs fought back, but the Warriors were not deterred as Sarah Mitchell blocked a final attack by Bailey McIntyre to give the Warriors a 25-19 point victory in set one.
Set Two
Barton attacked early as a kill and several service aces by Bailey McIntyre allowed them to take a 3-0 point lead. Southern Wesleyan answered right back as Alexxis Wader served up an ace of her own. Elise Fulgham blocked the next attack made by Mattie Wells. The Bulldogs thwarted Michaela Andress' attack on the net as both McIntyre and Bella Bianchin blocked the ball. Another kill by McIntyre jump started an eleven point run by the Bulldogs. Barton went on to claim the second set in a 25-16 final.
Set Three
Sarah Mitchell got down an early kill off a set by Lily Clarkson to allow the Warriors to take the opening point of the third set. Barton would not be deterred as a kill by Mattie Wells put the Bulldogs back on top. Southern Wesleyan tied the set back up as Alexxis Wader served up her second ace of the match. A kill by Madeline Hope allowed the Bulldogs to extend their lead to two. Kaylon Chapman got the ball down for a couple of kills. Bailey McIntyre went on the attack again, but this time Ellie Moore and Sarah Mitchell were able to block her attacks. Briley Wolff got in another kill, but it was not enough as Barton took the third set in a 25-23 final.
Set Four
A kill by Brenna Hasey allowed Barton to take the first point of the final set. The Warriors answered with a kill by Briley Wolff. Ellie Moore got the ball past the Bulldog defense for a kill that allowed the Warriors to tie the set up at six. However, Barton pushed on as kills by Manaia Toa and Bailey McIntyre put them back on top. Amiyah Spann set the ball up to Michaela Andress who drilled it down for a kill to allow the Warriors to tie the set up once again. Elise Fulgham was able to block Paige Bagwell's attack on the net. However, despite another ace by Lily Clarkson, the Warriors fell to the Bulldogs in a 25-23 final in set four.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will welcome the Francis Marion Patriots to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium on October 16 at 6pm. They will then host the UNC Pembroke Braves on October 17 at 2pm. On October 23, the Warriors will travel to Due West, SC to take on the Erskine Flying Fleet.
