Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down Belmont Abbey in a five set thriller on Friday evening.
The Warriors picked up 53 kills in the victory over the Crusaders. Ainsley Stovall led the team with 14 while both Briley Wolff and Kaylon Chapman had 11 kills apiece. Amiyah Spann and Rylie Barriger each had 21 assists in the match. The Warriors had seven aces with Faith Paxton and Chapman each picking up three.
Defensively, Faith Paxton led the team with 29 of the 90 digs. Behind Paxton, both Ainsley Stovall and Rylie Barriger had 10. Briley Wolff blocked six attacks made by the Crusaders. Sarah Mitchell had four blocks and Stovall had two.
Match Vitals
Set One: Belmont Abbey 25, Southern Wesleyan 23
Set Two: Southern Wesleyan 25, Belmont Abbey 18
Set Three: Southern Wesleyan 25, Belmont Abbey 23
Set Four: Belmont Abbey 25, Southern Wesleyan 19
Set Five: Southern Wesleyan 15, Belmont Abbey 11
Records: Southern Wesleyan (4-2 / CC 2-0) Belmont Abbey (5-3 / CC 0-1)
How It Happened
Set One
The Crusaders were first on the board as an ace by Emma Youngblood and a kill by Lola Sultenfuss gave them an early 2-0 point advantage. Ainsley Stovall laid down a kill to put the Warriors on the board. Belmont Abbey continued to attack the court as a kill by Zoey Bradford extended their lead to six. Southern Wesleyan rallied back as a kill by Sarah Mitchell jump started a five point run that put the Warriors within one point of the Crusaders. Bradford went on the attack once again, but Briley Wolff was there to block the ball and put the Warriors on top. The lead was short lived as the Crusaders answered with a point of their own off a kill by Renata Bolado. Belmont Abbey went on to win the first set in a 25-23 final.
Set Two
Once again, the Crusaders were first on the board in the second set. However, the Warriors quickly answered as a kill by Sarah Mitchell and an ace by Kaylon Chapman allowed Southern Wesleyan to take a 3-1 point lead. Ainsley Stovall and Briley Wolff each got in kills, but the Crusaders tied the set up seconds later as Emma Youngblood dumped the ball over the net. Rylie Barriger set the ball up to Chapman who drilled it past the Crusaders to put the Warriors on top 12-10. A kill by Elise Fulgham started a seven point run for Southern Wesleyan. Belmont Abbey got a couple more points on the board as Renata Bolado got in several more kills. However, it was not enough as the Warriors took the second set in a 25-18 final.
Set Three
The Warriors went on the early offensive in the third set of the match as Elise Fulgham got the ball down for a kill. Southern Wesleyan pushed on as Ainsley Stovall laid down several kills to put the Warriors on top 7-1. Taylor Marts looked to help the Crusaders make a run against the Warriors, but Sarah Mitchell was there to block her attack on the net. Faith Paxton set the ball up to Ellie Moore who got the ball past the Crusaders for a kill that gave the Warriors an 11-4 point lead. Belmont Abbey answered as an ace by Emma Youngblood allowed them to come back to within four points. However, Kaylon Chapman served up an ace of her own seconds later to extend the Warriors lead back up to six. Rylie Barriger dumped the ball over the net for a kill. Belmont Abbey fought back to within one point, but Briley Wolff got in a kill to allow the Warriors to claim the third set in a 25-23 final.
Set Four
The Crusaders charged out of the gate in the fourth set as a kill by Lola Sultenfuss started a five point run. Ainsley Stovall got the ball down for a couple of kills, but Belmont Abbey answered will a kill by Sophia Kane. Stovall went on another attack, however, Renata Bolado and Taylor Marts were able to block the attack. As Bolado went looking for yet another kill, Briley Wolff was there to block the ball. Despite kills by Ellie Moore, Kaylon Chapman and Wolff, Belmont Abbey claimed the fourth set in a 25-19 final.
Set Five
Early attack errors by the Crusaders put the Warriors on the board first in the final set of the match. Amiyah Spann set the ball up to Briley Wolff. Despite Lola Sultenfuss' attempt to block Wolff's attack, Wolff was able to get the ball down for a kill. Faith Paxton served up an ace to put the Warriors on top by three. However, the Crusaders would not go down easily as Renata Bolado got the ball down for several more kills to give Belmont Abbey the lead. Southern Wesleyan answered as Briley Wolff got the ball down for a kill. The Warriors went on to claim the final set in a 15-11 final.
What's Next
The Warriors will host the North Greenville Trailblazers on September 12 at 2pm. They will then hit the road to Rome, GA to take on the Shorter Hawks on September 15 at 6pm. Southern Wesleyan will return to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium on September 18-19 as they host the Converse Valkyries and Ferrum Panthers.
