Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan rallied back to take down Ferrum in a 3-1 final on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors totaled 46 kills with Ainsley Stovall leading the team with 15. Amiyah Spann had 23 of the 44 assists. Right behind Spann, Lily Clarkson had 16 assists. Southern Wesleyan served up seven aces. Spann and Kaylon Chapman each had two aces in the match.
Defensively, the Warriors had 76 digs. Both Faith Paxton and Lily Clarkson had 17 digs in the match. Sarah Mitchell blocked four attacks by the Panthers. Behind Mitchell, both Elise Fulgham and Briley Wolff had two blocks.
Match Vitals
Set One Final: Ferrum 25, Southern Wesleyan 17
Set Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Ferrum 18
Set Three Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Ferrum 22
Set Four Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Ferrum 15
Records: Southern Wesleyan (6-4 / CC 4-2) Ferrum (3-6 / CC 0-5)
How It Happened
Set One
The Warriors were first on the board as Ellie Moore got the ball past the defense for a kill. Catherine Bennett got the ball down for a kill for the first point of the set for the Panthers. Briley Wolff served up an ace, but a kill by Lily Ritema allowed Ferrum to tie the set up at five. The Panthers fought on as Makayla Rumley got the ball down for a kill. An ace by Skye Carter put Ferrum on top 19-15. Ainsley Stovall got down a kill off a pass from Amiyah Spann. However, Ferrum went on to claim the first set in a 25-17 final.
Set Two
Southern Wesleyan started strong in set two as Ainsley Stovall got the ball down for a kill. However, a kill by Catherine Bennett tied the second set up at one. The Warriors would not relent as Megan Gilliland and Sarah Mitchell each got the ball down for kills. Ferrum fought back as a kill off the hands of Lily Ritzema allowed them to come to within one point of Southern Wesleyan. Lily Clarkson set the ball up to Mitchell who drilled it past the Panthers to extend the Warriors lead to 11-6. Ferrum cut the Warriors lead down to three as Avery Tucker served up an ace. Southern Wesleyan answered as Mitchell got in another kill. The Warriors claimed the second set in a 25-18 final.
Set Three
The Warriors charged out of the gate in the third set as an ace by Amiyah Spann and then kills by Ainsley Stovall and Megan Gilliland put Southern Wesleyan on top 5-0. Gilliland got down another kill, but a kill by Makayla Rumley put the Panthers within six. Lily Clarkson served up an ace. Jaylyn Holt blocked an attack on the net by Ellie Moore. Ferrum fought back as a kill by Holt allowed the Panthers to tie the game up at sixteen. However, the Warriors were not done as they claimed the third set in a 25-22 final.
Set Four
Ainsley Stovall got the ball down for a kill to give the Warriors the first point of the fourth set. A kill by Catherine Bennett put the Panthers on the board. The Warriors would not back down as Elise Fulgham, Sarah Mitchell and Kaylon Chapman blocked the next few attacks made by Ferrum to put the Warriors on top 9-4. Stovall got in several more kills to extend the Warriors lead to twelve. Briley Wolff collected a pass from Amiyah Spann and got the ball down for a kill. Ferrum looked to cut further into the Warriors lead, but Mitchell and Fulgham blocked another attack to allow the Warriors to win the fourth set in a 25-15 final.
What's Next
The Warriors will hit the road on September 25 and 26. On September 25, they will travel to Banner Elk, NC to take on the Lees-McRae Bobcats before traveling on to Bristol, TN to take on the King Tornado on September 26. Southern Wesleyan will travel to Young Harris, GA on September 29 to take on the Young Harris Mountain Lions. They will remain on the road on October 3 as they travel to Mount Olive, NC to take on the University of Mount Olive Trojans.
