CELEVELAND, Ga. (October 2, 2021) – The Truett McConnell University women's soccer team faced Bluefield University Saturday, inside the TMU Volleyball/Wrestling Arena, where five hard fought sets saw the Knights prevail with a final match score of 3-2 (25-22, 25-23, 14-25, 12-25, 13-15). The Rams rose to a record of 12-7, 8-2 AAC, while the Lady Bears fell to a record of 8-12, 5-4 AAC.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Set one proved successful for the Lady Bears, as a five-point run at the start gave TMU the edge they needed (5-0). The Lady Bears were up by at most six points after a Sonya Silecky kill (16-10), but the Rams did not back down as they reduced the lead to three (18-15). A serive error by the Rams resulted in a first set victory for TMU (25-22), with the momentum carried into set two. TMU took a five-point run at the start of set two, featuring two Elizabeth Franklin kills (9-4), but the Rams retaliated with points of their own. The Lady Bears clinched the second win by two (25-23), which was secured with a Franklin kill, forcing Bluefield to work from behind.

The Rams gained speed in set three and four to even the match score (2-2), ultimately forcing a fifth and final set. An early run by the Rams in set five, put pressure on TMU (9-6), but the Lady Bears did not give up, as they stole the lead after a Deomi Valmus ace (12-11). A kill by Ranavia Neal proved to be TMU's final move (13-14), as the match was stolen by the Rams with a final score of 13-15.

LEADERS
Neal led the way with 12 kills and three blocks, while Jordan Roberts recorded 11 kills of her own. Franklin had 10 kills, along with five blocks, followed by Bethany Ross who had six kills and Sonya Silecky who had five kills with 25 digs. Rachel Kessler tallied 23 digs and Taylor Roland had ten digs. Valmus had 25 assists on the day, along with 11 digs, while Morgan Cox had 14 assists and six digs.

UP NEXT
The Lady Bears will travel to face Reinhardt University in an AAC showdown Tuesday, Oct. 5, with a match time set for 6:30 p.m.