Due West, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Erskine Flying Fleet on Friday evening in a 3-1 final.
The Warriors totaled 56 kills in the Conference Carolinas pod victory. Kaylon Chapman led the team with 14 kills. Behind her, both Megan Gilliland and Ainsley Stovall had 11 kills. Of the 52 assists, Lily Clarkson had 25 and Amiyah Spann had 18. Chapman and Lauren Smith each had two aces.
Defensively, the Warriors totaled 64 digs with four players posting double digits. Kaylon Chapman led the team with 12 digs. Faith Paxton and Lily Clarkson each had 11, and Lauren Smith had 10. Southern Wesleyan had six blocks with Hayley Ratliff being involved in five of the blocks.
Match Vitals
Set One: Erskine 25, Southern Wesleyan 23
Set Two: Southern Wesleyan 25, Erskine 17
Set Three: Southern Wesleyan 25, Erskine 14
Set Four: Southern Wesleyan 25, Erskine 19
Records: Southern Wesleyan (10-10 / CC 8-8) Erskine (6-19 / CC 3-13)
How It Happened
Set One
The Warriors went on the attack early as Hayley Ratliff got the ball down for a kill. Erskine quickly answered with kills by Ella Dietrich and Alexis Waddy to give the Flying Fleet the lead. Becca Yohe served up an ace. Southern Wesleyan would not go down easily as Megan Gilliland collected a pass from Lily Clarkson and drilled it in for a kill. Erskine pressed on as Yohe got in another kill. Clarkson served the ball in for an ace to put the Warriors within five points of the Flying Fleet. Briley Wolff went on the attack, but Ella Dietrich and Madison Bagwell were able to block her attack on the net. Southern Wesleyan chipped away at the Flying Fleet's lead as Kaylon Chapman and Megan Gilliland each got the ball in for kills. A series of attack errors by Erskine allowed Southern Wesleyan to tie the set up at twenty-one. However, Erskine claimed the first set in a 25-23 final.
Set Two
Erskine took an early advantage in the second set, but a kill by Megan Gilliland and an ace by Lauren Smith allowed Southern Wesleyan to tie the set up at two. Gilliland drilled the ball down off a set by Lily Clarkson to give the Warriors the lead. Kimmy Stiltner went on the attack, but Elise Fulgham and Briley Wolff were there to block the attack and keep the Flying Fleet from cutting into the Warriors advantage. Erskine tied the set up, but Kaylon Chapman got the ball in for a series of kills to give the Warriors a 9-8 point lead. Carter Stephen looked to go on the attack, but Hayley Ratliff and Ainsley Stovall were able to block the Flying Fleet's attack. The Flying Fleet answered with kills by Madison Bagwell and Kimmy Stiltner. An ace by Kaylon Chapman allowed the Warriors to claim the second set in a 25-17 final.
Set Three
Erskine looked to attack the net early on, but Hayley Ratliff and Ainsley Stovall were there to block the attack. The Warriors pushed on with kills by Stovall and Megan Gilliland. A kill by Alexis Waddy put the Flying Fleet on the board. Erskine fought back as Waddy served up an ace to put them within one point of Southern Wesleyan. However, Faith Paxton set the ball up to Kaylon Chapman who drilled it down for a kill to extend the Warriors lead to 10-6. Lauren Smith served up an ace. Amiyah Spann set the ball up to Elise Fulgham who got it past the Flying Fleet defense to give the Warriors a ten point lead. Erskine answered with a kill by Madison Bagwell. The Warriors went on to claim the third set in a 25-14 final.
Set Four
The Flying Fleet were first on the board in the final set of the match, but back-to-back kills by Ainsley Stovall put the Warriors on top 2-1. Lily Clarkson set the ball up to Briley Wolff who drilled it down for a kill to extend Southern Wesleyan's lead. Erskine came to within one point of the Warriors as Ella Dietrich got the ball in for a couple of kills. A kill off the hands of Elise Fulgham allowed the Warriors to take a 7-4 point lead over the Flying Fleet. Becca Yohe got the ball down for several more kills. Erskine continued to fight back as kills by Alexis Waddy put the Flying Fleet within one point of Southern Wesleyan. The Warriors regained their three point lead as Ainsley Stovall got the ball down for a kill. Waddy looked to get the ball in for another kill, but Hayley Ratliff and Stovall got the ball down for a kill. A kill by Stovall allowed the Warriors to claim the fourth set in a 25-19 final.
What's Next
The Warriors will travel to Spartanburg, SC on October 27 to take on the Converse Valkyries. They will then travel to Franklin Springs, GA on October 30 to take on the Emmanuel Lions. On October 31, the Warriors will return to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium as they host the Young Harris Mountain Lions. Southern Wesleyan will celebrate their seniors prior to the game.
