Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Young Harris Mountain Lions on senior day on Saturday afternoon in a 3-1 final.
The Warriors picked up 47 kills against the Mountain Lions. Ainsley Stovall and Kaylon Chapman each recorded double digits in kills. Stovall totaled 15 kills and Chapman had 10 kills. Of the 43 assists, Lily Clarkson led the team with 21 while Amiyah Spann followed with 17. Faith Paxton led the team with four aces.
Southern Wesleyan collected 79 digs in the match with senior libero Faith Paxton leading the team with 25. Alexxis Wader also had double digits in digs as she had 16. The Warriors blocked 12 attacks by the Mountain Lions. Briley Wolff was apart of eight of the blocks. Sarah Mitchell followed with five blocks and Ellie Moore had four.
Match Vitals
Set One: Southern Wesleyan 25, Young Harris 23
Set Two: Young Harris 25, Southern Wesleyan 23
Set Three: Southern Wesleyan 25, Young Harris 13
Set Four: Southern Wesleyan 25, Young Harris 14
Records: Southern Wesleyan (11-12 / CC 9-10) Young Harris (9-18 / CC 3-16)
How It Happened
Set One
The Mountain Lions kicked off the first set with a kill by Piper Duckworth. The Warriors answered as Briley Wolff and Kaylon Chapman blocked Duckworth's next attack on the net. Ellie Moore drilled the ball past the Mountain Lions to put the Warriors on top. Young Harris answered as Amya Dryden got the ball down for a kill. Briley Wolff got in a kill to tie the set back up at eight. Southern Wesleyan continued to attack the net as Sarah Mitchell got in a kill. The Mountain Lions would not relent as Lyza Thigpen, Mary Margaret Wilson and Duckworth all got the ball in for kills. The Warriors persevered as they claimed the first set in a 25-23 final.
Set Two
Young Harris went on a four point run to kick off the second set. A kill by Sarah Mitchell put the Warriors on the board. Mitchell blocked an attack by Kathryn Urbanek to put Southern Wesleyan within one point of Young Harris. Megan Gilliland and Kaylon Chapman got in a couple more kills. However, the Mountain Lions pressed on as Alexa Berry and Lauren DeSilets blocked Ellie Moore's attack on the net. A kill by Ainsley Stovall jump started a seven point run for the Warriors that included aces by Faith Paxton. Mary Margaret Wilson laid down a kill to tie the set up once again. The Mountain Lions pressed on as a kill by DeSilets allowed them to take set two in a 25-23 final.
Set Three
Southern Wesleyan charged out of the gate in the third set as a kill by Ainsley Stovall jump started a five point run for the Warriors. A kill by Alexa Berry put the Mountain Lions on the board. Stovall continued to attack the net as she got in several more kills. Piper Duckworth got the ball in for a kill to put the Mountain Lions within six. Young Harris looked to cut further into Southern Wesleyan's lead, but Briley Wolff and Ellie Moore were there to block Hannah Depp's attack on the net. The Warriors pressed on as Lily Clarkson dumped the ball over the net. A kill off the hands of Kaylon Chapman allowed the Warriors to claim set three in a 25-13 final.
Set Four
The Warriors maintained their attacks in the final set as some early errors by the Mountain Lions put Southern Wesleyan on the board first. Ainsley Stovall drilled the ball past the Mountain Lions for a kill to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. Hannah Depp looked to get a kill, but Megan Gilliland and Briley Wolff were there to block her attack. Kills by Mary Margaret Wilson and Piper Duckworth put Young Harris on the board. A kill by Kaylon Chapman jump started a four point run that ended in a kill off the hands of Ellie Moore to put the Warriors on top 13-5. Southern Wesleyan would not relent as a kill by Sarah Mitchell allowed the Warriors to take the final set in a 25-14 final.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will host the Shorter Hawks on November 3 to conclude the regular season.
