LAKE WALES, Fla. (August 21, 2021) – The Truett McConnell University women's volleyball team competed in the final day of the Royal Classic, hosted by Warner University, where they went 1-1 on the day. TMU secured their first win of the season in match one in four sets against Appalachian Athletic Conference competitor, St. Andrews University, with scores of 25-23, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-15.

Match two saw the Lady Bears lose by slim margins against the Royal Classic host, with Warner up 2-1 at the beginning of the fourth set, ultimately clinching set four by two points (23-25). The Lady Bears are now sitting at 1-3 on the season, while the Knights sit at a record of 0-2 and the Royals sit at a record of 2-3.
 
MATCH 1 | St. Andrews University
The Lady Bears took the lead from the start, with St. Andrews close behind, capable of bridging the gap on multiple occasions. It wasn't until a kill by Brooklynn Brock put TMU up 19-16, continuing to climb the latter with a three-point run after two Virginia Hudson kills (24-18). The Knights gained momentum to take a five-point run (24-23) at the end but fell to a service error, allowing TMU to secure set one.

Set two saw the Knights strike first with a strong four-point run, but the Lady Bears responded immediately with a four-point run of their won with back-to-back Bethany Ross kills (7-8). St. Andrews broke away with a five-point lead (13-18), with TMU working hard from behind but fell in set two to a score of 21-25. The Lady Bears secured set three with a final score of 25-20, featuring two six-point runs triggered by two Sonya Silecky kills and multiple attacking errors by the Knights. TMU gained speed to dominate all of set four, including a seven-point run, which ultimately resulted with the Lady Bears on top with a score of 25-15 to steal the match 3-1.
 
LEADERS
Hudson led the Lady Bears with 11 kills, followed by Jordan Roberts who had nine kills. Ross had eight kills and Silecky had five kills, along with 14 digs. Sophomore Rachel Kessler had 16 digs of her own, while fellow sophomore Deomi Valmus had 10 digs and Brock recorded 32 assists.
 
MATCH 2 | Warner University
Warner started set one off strong, collecting a five-point lead (2-7). The Royals continued to take strong runs, but the Lady Bears stayed persistent until the end to keep the game within small margins at a score of 21-22. A kill by Neal kept the Lady Bears close, but three Warner kills resulted in a first set loss for TMU (22-25). Warner stole set two with a score of 19-25, forcing the Lady Bears to gain speed in set three.
 
Set three was a change of pace for TMU, as they gained a four-point lead from the start, due to Royal attacking errors and a Ross kill (4-0). A double Silecky kill ignited a four-point run for the Lady Bears (8-2), followed by two Hudson kills for a a five-point run, featuring Roberts earning a kill of her own (13-3). TMU's speed could not be combatted in set three as they secured their first win of the match (1-2). The entire fourth set was neck-and-neck between both teams, until TMU took the lead after three Warner attacking errors (21-18). The Royals did not back down as they collected a three-point lead to make the score 21-24, followed by two kills from TMU. A final kill by Warner secured their third win of the match (23-25), resulting in a score of 1-3.

LEADERS
Ross led the way with 12 kills and six digs, while Hudson totaled eight kills and three digs. Silecky had eight kills of her won with 11 digs, followed by Roberts with six kills and Elizabeth Franklin with five kills. Brock recorded 28 assists, totaling 60 on the day.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Bears are back in action for their home opener Friday, September 3, where they will face Keiser University at 9:00 a.m. and Fisk University at 5:00 p.m.