CLEVELAND, Ga. (September 4, 2021) - The Truett McConnell University women's volleyball team hosted the TMU Invitational inside of the Bear Cave, where they went 1-3 on the weekend and faced Keiser University (7-25, 12-25, 27-25, 18-25), Fisk University (25-22, 22-25, 21-25, 25-15, 15-12), Taylor University (25-23, 25-15, 25-16) and Faulkner University (26-24, 25-19, 25-16).

MATCH 1 | Keiser University

The Lady Bears competed in four hard-fought sets with the Seahawks. In the first set, the Seahawks rallied with a three-point run. The Lady Bears scored a few points of their own, but fell 25-7. In the second set, the Seahawks started with a seven-point rally. However, the Lady Bears struck with a three-point run of their own. Sonya Silecky fired the Lady Bears offense with three kills of her own. The Seahawks continued to rally late into the second set to defeat the Lady Bears 25-12.

In the third set, the Seahawks continued to have a resilient offense. The Lady Bears struck with a six-point rally with two aces from Brooklynn Brock. However, the Seahawks were persistent. The rest of the match was neck-and-neck until the Lady Bears had two kills to secure the victory, 27-25. In the fourth set, the Lady Bears started with two kills from Ranavia Neal. The rest of the set was even in score until the Seahawks broke away. The Lady Bears fell short, 25-18.

LEADERS

Silecky led the Lady Bears with nine kills, followed by Neal with eight kills. Rachel Kessler led with 19 digs, followed by Silecky with 10 digs. Brock led the way with 26 assists, while Deomi Valmus followed with five of her own.

MATCH 2 | Fisk University

The Lady Bears went five gruesome matches with the Bulldogs. In the first set, the Bulldogs scored first. However, the Lady Bears were persistent with a three-point rally. The Bulldogs and Lady Bears went back and forth the entire set. However, a kill from Jordan Roberts sealed the 25-22 win. In the second set, the Bulldogs came with a fiery offense and a four-point rally. The Lady Bears retaliated with a few three-point rallies of their own, but fell short 25-22.

In the third set, the Bulldogs forced the Lady Bears to fight. A late five-point rally, with three kills from Roberts, provided hope. Unfortunately, the Lady Bears fell 25-21. In the fourth set, the Lady Bears started strong with a three-point rally and two kills from Virginia Hudson. Their offense continued to spark with a five-point rally. Bethany Ross and Silecky added in some kills of their own to give the Lady Bears a 25-12 victory. In the fifth set, both teams had five-point rallies of their own. However, the Lady Bears bridged the gap and stole the lead for a 15-12 victory.

LEADERS

Roberts led the Lady Bears with 11 kills, while Neal, Silecky and Katie Williamson had 10 kills apiece. Silecky led the way with 22 digs and Kessler had 21 digs of her own. Brock had an outstanding 40 assists while Valmus had 10 of her own. 

MATCH 3 | Taylor University

The Lady Bears went three, quick matches with the Trojans. In the first set, the Lady Bears and the Trojans were within slim margins of each other. Both teams had three-point rallies without. Kills from Hudson, Ross and Neal were crucial, but not enough. The Lady Bears fell short, 25-23. In the second set, the Lady Bears were dominated by an intense Trojan's offense. They fell short 25-12. In the third set, the Lady Bears had a late two-point rally and kills from Roberts, Ross and Silecky. It proved to not be enough as the Lady Bears fell short, 25-16.

LEADERS

Hudson led the Lady Bears with five kills, while Roberts, Neal and Silecky had four kills apiece. Kessler had 12 digs while Valmus had nine. Brock led the way with 10 assists, followed by Valmus with nine assists.

MATCH 4 | Faulkner University (Alabama)

The Lady Bears went an intense three sets with the Eagles. In the first set, the Lady Bears started hot with a nine-point rally. Silecky recorded three kills while Taylor Roland recorded an ace. The Eagles started to rally back, but the Lady Bears continued to fight. The Eagles struck hard with a six-point rally that brought them in close proximity to the Bears. Kills from Hudson, Silecky and Neal failed to help the Bears keep their lead and they fell 26-24.

 In the second set, the Lady Bears and Eagles were persistent in score. However, the Lady Bears fell off and lost 25-19. In the third set, the Lady Bears struggled to find their groove. An ace from Roland and kills from Silecky, Neal and Hudson were not enough. The Lady Bears fell 25-16.

LEADERS

Silecky led the Lady Bears with 10 kills, while Neal had 5 of her own. Kessler had 13 digs, while Roland had 12 to add. Valmus led the way with 14 assists, while Brock followed up with 10 of her own.

UP NEXT
The Lady Bears are back in action on Thursday, September 9, where they will hit the road to face Brenau University for their first AAC matchup of the season. Match time is set for 6:30 p.m.