Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a five set thriller on Friday evening in a 3-2 final score.
The Warriors totaled 65 kills in the victory over the Crusaders. Ainsley Stovall led the team with 22 kills. Also picking up double digits in kills was Kaylon Chapman (16) and Briley Wolff (13). Of the 61 assists in the match, freshman Lily Clarkson had 26. Right on Clarkson's heels, Amiyah Spann had 22 assists. Alexxis Wader served up three of the four service aces.
Defensively, the Warriors totaled 83 digs with Kaylon Chapman leading the team with 20. Faith Paxton (17) and Lily Clarkson (13) also had double digits in digs. Briley Wolff was apart of nine of the 13 blocks in the match.
Match Vitals
Set One: Belmont Abbey 25, Southern Wesleyan 22
Set Two: Southern Wesleyan 25, Belmont Abbey 18
Set Three: Belmont Abbey 32, Southern Wesleyan 30
Set Four: Southern Wesleyan 25, Belmont Abbey 12
Set Five: Southern Wesleyan 15, Belmont Abbey 9
Records: Southern Wesleyan (13-12 / CC 10-10) Belmont Abbey (15-13 / CC 10-10)
How It Happened
Set One
A service error by the Crusaders put the Warriors on the board first in the opening set of the match. Tyler Case looked to give Belmont Abbey the lead, but Elise Fulgham and Briley Wolff were able to block her attack on the net. Case's next attack paid off as she got in a kill off a pass from Emma Youngblood to tie the set up at five. Belmont Abbey took the lead on kills by Taylor Marts, Renata Bolado and Sheridan Young. The Warriors would not relent as Fulgham got down a couple of kills. Each time the Crusaders took the lead, the Warriors answered with a kill of their own. Megan Gilliland got the ball down for a kill to jump start a four point run for Southern Wesleyan that ended in a kill by Ainsley Stovall to give them a 16-13 point lead. However, Belmont Abbey answered with a four point run of their own to tie the set up once again. Case got in another kill and then Taylor Marts blocked an attack on the net by Briley Wolff to allow Belmont Abbey to claim the first set in a 25-22 final.
Set Two
An early error allowed Belmont Abbey to take the first point of the second set. However, Kaylon Chapman got her next attack down for a kill to tie the set up at one. Renata Bolado looked to keep the set tied up, but Chapman denied her attack on the net. Once again Tyler Case went on the attack, but Briley Wolff and Elise Fulgham got up to block her attempt at a kill. Belmont Abbey took the lead as Renata Bolado laid down several more kills, but Southern Wesleyan answered as Alexxis Wader served up back-to-back aces and then Megan Gilliland laid down a kill of her own. The Warriors would not let the Crusaders push ahead as Wolff and Chapman were there once again to block an attack by Lola Sultenfuss. Wolff collected the ball off a set by Lily Clarkson and got it down for a kill to jump start a five point run for the Warriors. Ainsley Stovall drilled the ball down past the Crusaders to gain a kill to give the Warriors a 25-18 point victory in set two.
Set Three
Belmont Abbey opened up set three with a kill off the hands of Renata Bolado. However, a series of attack errors by the Crusaders allowed Southern Wesleyan to take the lead. Kaylon Chapman got the ball down for a kill, but the Crusaders answered quickly with a kill by Lola Sultenfuss. Belmont Abbey pressed on as kills by Hailey Hall and Bolado allowed them to extend their lead to 14-8. Trailing the Crusaders by eight, Lily Clarkson set the ball up to Chapman who drilled it down for a kill. Her kill jump started a six point run for the Warriors that put them within two points of the Crusaders. The Warriors were not done as Chapman and Briley Wolff each got down kills. Bolado looked to give the Crusaders a set point victory, but Wolf was there to block the attack. Chapman and Wolff blocked another attack by Bolado to allow the Warriors to tie the third set up at twenty-four. The set went back and fourth for several points as the Warriors and Crusaders matched each other point for point. However, Hall and Sultenfuss blocked Chapman's final attack to give the Crusaders a 32-30 point victory in set three.
Set Four
The Warriors would not go down easily as Hayley Ratliff blocked an early attack by Renata Bolado in set four. A service ace by Bolado tied the set up, but the Warriors answered with a kill off the hands of Elise Fulgham. Southern Wesleyan would not relent as Fulgham got in another kill to extend the Warriors lead to two. Briley Wolff collected a set by Lily Clarkson and got the ball down for a kill, jump starting a seven point run for the Warriors to put them on top 14-5. Belmont Abbey answered with a kill by Jordan Medina, but Southern Wesleyan rallied on as Ainsley Stovall got the ball in for several more kills. Stovall got the ball in for another kill to extend Southern Wesleyan's lead to twelve. The Warriors would not relent as kills by Kaylon Chapman and Briley Wolff allowed them to claim set four in a 25-12 final.
Set Five
Emma Youngblood served up an opening ace for the Crusaders to give them the first point of the final set. However, an attack error off the hands of Renata Bolado put the ball back in the Warriors hands. Ainsley Stovall took advantage of the possession shift to get the ball down for a kill to give Southern Wesleyan the lead. The Warriors pressed on as kills by Elise Fulgham and Briley Wolff allowed Southern Wesleyan to extend their lead to three. Mary Grace Hogue served up an ace, but the Warriors would not be stopped as Wolff got the ball in for another kill. Lily Clarkson set the ball up to Kaylon Chapman who drilled it down for a kill. Bolado got in another kill for the Crusaders, but the Warriors pressed on as a kill off the hands of Ainsley Stovall allowed Southern Wesleyan to take the fifth set in a 15-9 final.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will continue in the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament as they travel to Franklin Springs, GA on November 10 to take on the #1 seeded Emmanuel Lions at 7pm.
