LAKE WALES, Fla. (August 20, 2021) – The Truett McConnell University women's volleyball opened their 2021 season on the first day of the Royal Classic Friday, hosted by Warner University, where they fell in two individually grueling matches against the University of Mobile (3-0) and Grace College (25-14, 25-17, 25-21). 

MATCH 1 | University of Mobile
Due to complications, stats for match one will be posted at a later time.

MATCH 2 | Grace College
Set one saw Grace ahead from the start with multiple strong runs, forcing the Lady Bears to work hard from behind (13-25). The start of set two saw the Lancers ahead once more, but TMU wasn't far behind as they took a few strong runs of their own after a Jordan Roberts kill and Deomi Valmus service ace to make the score 4-7. Grace did not back down as they continued to earn multiple three-point runs, ultimately securing set two with a score of 17-25.

It wasn't until set three that the Lady Bears broke it open, with a Bethany Ross kill triggering a four-point run to take the lead (7-4). The Lancers responded with a four-point run of their own to get up by one (8-9), but a Virginia Hudson kill from a set by Brooklynn Brock bridged the gap to make the score 9-9. It was neck and neck up until the end when TMU was one away from making the score even (21-22), ultimately falling to a final Grace three-point run to steal set three with a score of 21-25.

LEADERS
Ross led the way with seven kills and three digs, while junior Ranavia Neal and Hudson individually had five kills. Sophomore Sonya Silecky had four kills with five digs, while Roberts had four kills and two digs. Junior setter Brock made her debut as a Lady Bear with 21 assists and three digs on the night.

UP NEXT
The Lady Bears are back in action tomorrow for day two of the Royal Classic, where they will face AAC competitor St. Andrews University at 9:30 a.m. and the Royal Classic host at 2:00 p.m.