TALLADEGA, Ala. (August 31, 2024) – On Friday-Saturday, the Truett McConnell University women's volleyball team traveled to compete in the Talladega College Volleyball Tournament, where the Lady Bears finished 1-3 after falling on day one to New College of Florida (25-23, 20-25, 20-25, 20-25) and Point University (14-25, 19-25, 25-27), and splitting day two of play with a win over Stillman College (25-12, 25-22, 27-25) and a hard-fought loss against RV Talladega College (25-15, 20-25, 23-25, 21-25). The Lady Bears finish the weekend with an overall record of 1-7.
 
DAY ONE
NCF 3 vs. TMU 1
PLAY-BY-PLAY
In set one, the Lady Bears started off strong with kills by Claudia Yates and Katie Williams. TMU continued to hold a small lead over the Banyans with a solo block by Elizabeth Franklin and kills by Yates and Faith Clarkson leading the action. NCF continued to fight back, tying up the set, when consecutive kills by Franklin pushed TMU ahead. TMU continued to show their determination as a final kill by Sameily Marquez gave the Lady Bears set one, 25-23. Set two began with a kill by TMU's Deomi Valmus. NCF quickly responded, when a quick three-point rally by the Lady Bears, pushed TMU ahead. Both teams continued to battle it out, remaining even for most of the set, when a three-point rally by the Banyan's gave NCF the lead. A last chance effort by the Lady Bears saw Clarkson obtain the kill but was ultimately short lived as two errors on TMU gave NCF the set two win (20-25).
 
Set three began with the Lady Bears once again first on the board, with a kill by Katie Williams. TMU continued to push ahead with kills by Williams, Marquez, and Clarkson, eager to create a large gap on the board. The Banyans continued to fight back with a three-point rally capable of tying up the set. The remainder of the set saw both teams battle back and forth, with kills by Marquez, Franklin, and Grace Meadors, attempting to keep the opposing team at bay, until a three-point rally by NCF closed in on a Banyans win in set three, 20-25. In the final set, NCF was first to attack. TMU quickly recovered with a solo block by Franklin and two kills by Clarkson. The Lady Bears continued to fight, eager to change the tide of the match, when a late five-point rally by NCF pushed the win out of reach, falling in set four, 20-25.
 
LEADERS
Clarkson led the way for the Lady Bears, recording 12 kills. Williams followed closely behind with 10 kills and a serving ace, while Marquez had six kills. Franklin was featured recording six kills, three solo blocks, and one block assist, while Yates had five kills. Emma Boland was featured recording 20 assist and two serving aces.
 
PU 3 vs. TMU 0
PLAY-BY-PLAY
In the first set, PU was first to score with the Lady Bears responding with a kill by Williams. Both teams continued to face off head-to-head as kills by Jordan Roberts and Faith Clarkson, held the margin to one when a four-point rally by the Skyhawks pushed PU ahead. A last chance kill by Williams attempted to spark a comeback for TMU, but was not enough to make a change, falling in set one, 14-25. Set two saw PU once again first on the board as the opposing team looked for a win. The Lady Bears continued to fight back despite a ten-point rally produced by the Skyhawks. TMU did not lose hope, creating a seven-point rally for themselves, featuring four kills by Clarkson, two kills by Marquez and a block assist by Clarkson and Franklin. The Lady Bears held on for the remainder of the set, refusing to fall without a fight, when a final kill by the Skyhawks, gave PU set two (19-25).
 
Set three saw a change in momentum for the Lady Bears as a kill by Clarkson started off the set. Both teams once again continued to battle as rallies by the opposing team threatened to create a large lead for PU. Despite the odds, the Lady Bears continued to rally together fighting for the win as they tied up the match. However, the momentum was short lived as two errors by the Lady Bears resulted in a hard-fought loss (25-27), resulting in a final match score of 0-3.
 
LEADERS
Clarkson led the way for TMU with 10 kills and a block assist, followed by Roberts with five kills and a solo block. Marquez and Williams were seen recording four kills, while Franklin recorded two block assist and a solo block. Boland was featured recording 14 assist in the match-up.

DAY TWO
TMU 3 vs. SC 0
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Set one saw the Lady Bears first to score with a kill by Clarkson. The Lady Tigers responded quickly, taking the lead over TMU when back-to-back kills by Williams, paired with kills by Lacey Garcia and Sullivan Knight, put TMU ahead. TMU continued to hold the lead as the Lady Bears rallied together, when a final kill by Meadors followed by a block assist by Meadors and Yates, secure the win 25-12. In set two, TMU was once again first to score with a service ace by Boland. The Lady Bears continued to fight when two four-point rallies by SC threatened TMUs momentum. TMU was not shaken as three consecutive kills by Clarkson helped the Lady Bears obtain a set two win, 25-22. 
 
In the final set, SC was first to get on the board. TMU responded quickly with kills by Franklin and Clarkson, eager to put this match away with a win. Both teams continued to battle, pushing each other back and forth, when two three-point rallies by the Lady Tigers threatened the result of the set. TMU did not give up banding together as team to obtain the win, when a final kill by Meadors and an error on the opposing team sealed the deal on a Lady Bears victory, 27-25.
 
LEADERS
Clarkson once again led the way for the Lady Bears with 12 kills. Williams followed closely behind with eight kills, while Franklin tallied six kills, a solo block, and a block assist. Roberts and Marquez were featured recording four kills apiece, while Boland record 19 assist.
 
TC 3 vs. TMU 1
PLAY-BY-PLAY
In set one, the Lady Bears worked together to out play the Tornadoes forcing a six-point rally onto the board to take the early lead, featuring a kill by Williams. TMU continued to hold their own as two more four-point rallies kept TC far behind. A last chance effort in set one by the Tornadoes attempted to shift the sets favor but was unsuccessful as the Lady Bears took the set, 25-15. The second set saw a shift in momentum for the Tornadoes as a five-point rally by TC was first to hit the board. TMU was not discouraged as kills by Roberts, Franklin, and Williams, kept the Lady Bears in range. TMU continued to fight, as a last chance kill by Williams attempted to recover a Lady Bears win but was ultimately not enough to take set two (20-25).
 
Set three began with another five-point rally by the opposing team as the Tornadoes worked to out play the Lady Bears. TMU was not shaken as kills by Marquez and Clarkson, paired with two service aces by Valmus, kept the set even. A final four-point rally by the opposing team ultimately sealed the fate of set three as the Lady Bears fell, 23-25.  In the final set, the Lady Bears gave it their all, taking every chance available to record the kill, but a strong offense by the opposing team ultimately determined the fate of the match as TMU fell in the fourth set, 21-25.
 
LEADERS
Marquez and Clarkson led the way for TMU with eight kills apiece. Williams followed closely behind tallying seven kills and two solo blocks, followed by Franklin with six kills and Roberts with five kills. Valmus was featured recording three serving aces, while Rachel Kessler and Boland recorded 10 digs apiece.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Bears will be back in Talladega, Ala. on Saturday, September 7 for another match-up against the Talladega College Tornadoes. Match time to be determined.