ATHENS, Tenn. (September 18, 2021) - The Truett McConnell University women's volleyball team hit the road Saturday to face Tennessee Wesleyan University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference showdown. The Lady Bears proved victorious as they captured the first two sets, followed by dominating in the fourth set to steal the match 3-1 (25-20, 25-16, 18-25, 25-16). TMU improved to a season record of 4-10, 2-2 AAC, while the Bulldogs fell to a record of 2-10, 0-3 AAC.

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Set one saw two Ranavia Neal blocks from the start to help TMU gain a four point lead (4-0). The Bulldogs were capable of lessening the lead, but the Lady Bears stayed resilient, earning at most a nine point lead after an Elizabeth Franklin block (13-4). TWU made a comeback, reducing the lead to four, but a kill by Jordan Roberts secured the win, resulting in a final score of 25-20. The Lady Bears gained speed in set two, taking multiple strong runs, forcing the Bulldogs to work under pressure. The set was put out of reach after a combination of TWU errors and back-to-back kills from Franklin and Sonya Silecky (21-11) to leave the Lady Bears on top with a score of 25-16.

The Bulldogs fought back, capturing set three with a score of 18-25, but TMU did not let up. Set four saw the Lady Bears on top, after the Bulldogs snagged an early lead (5-8), but was quickly shut down with a Franklin kill (8-8). The Lady Bears ran away with the score, collecting their second AAC win of the season with a final match score of 3-1 (25-16).

LEADERS

Franklin led the way once again with 11 kills and five digs, while Silecky followed up with nine kills and 10 digs. Roberts recorded five kills and Virginia Hudson, Bethany Ross and Neal individually recorded four kills. Rachel Kessler led with 23 digs, followed by Taylor Roland who had 11 digs. Deomi Valmus tallied 17 assists and four digs, while Morgan Cox tallied 13 assists and eight digs.

UP NEXT

The Lady Bears are back in action Tuesday, Sept. 21, where they will travel to face Columbia International University in an AAC battle, with a match time set for 6:30 p.m.