CLEVELAND, Ga. – Truett McConnell women's volleyball will host its second two-match Appalachian Athletic Conference weekend in a row with a match vs. Tennessee Wesleyan on Friday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. and vs. Bryan on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. in the Harris Athletic Complex.
 
The Lady Bears enter the weekend with a 14-5 overall record which includes a 4-1 start in conference play. They suffered their first AAC loss Tuesday night with a 3-0 contest to Columbia International on the road. It's only the third time this season the team has been beat in straight sets.
 
Since 2013, the Lady Bulldogs have the advantage in the series, winning 11 out of 19 contests including the last three matches, which all occurred in the 2025 season. TWU won the first two at the 2025 Bear Invitational before winning the AAC match 3-1. However, Truett has the edge in the recent series, winning seven straight over Tennessee Wesleyan before the 2025 season, including an AAC Tournament win in 2019.
 
In the series vs. the Lions, the Lady Bears have won the past two matches in 2025 and 2024 but have a 3-13 record since 2013. TMU is looking for its first win over Bryan in Cleveland since 2018.
 
TWU has an impressive 13-3 overall record with an AAC record of 4-1. After losing the opening conference match to Pikeville, the Lady Bulldogs have won four straight three-set matches in conference play. It's the best start in AAC play for Tennessee Wesleyan since a 5-0 start in 2018.
 
Leading the team offensively is Katie Pennington with 2.63 kills per set and 142 overall. Setter Alley Hibdon averages 8.39 assists per set, fourth in the AAC, and has 23 aces on the year. Nyah Hudson controls the line with 55 total blocks. Her blocks per set (1.02) leads the conference.
 
Gracelyn Jackson has established herself as one of the best defenders in the AAC, ranking second in digs per set (4.69) and third in total digs (253). She has collected double-digit dig performances in the past eight matches for the Lady Bulldogs.
 
For Bryan, it holds an 8-7 overall record with a 2-3 mark in AAC play. The Lions have lost three of the past four matches, including a 3-0 loss to TWU on Sept. 15. They have performed well on the road this season, going 4-2 in road matches.
 
Shelby Kelly ranks second in the conference in total kills with 165 on the year, good for 2.84 per set. Among qualified hitters, Ella Wheatcroft is fifth in the AAC with a .305 hitting percentage. Kaci Wade has total 493 assists on the year and 8.50 a/s, which ranks third in the league.
 
TMU will be faced with another quality defender in Jaylynn Bullock, who ranks second in the AAC in total digs (268) and fifth in digs per set (4.62).
 
For the Lady Bears, Faith Clarkson is the top threat on the attack, compiling 1.94 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .229. Julia Fisher and Alexis Mills also have over 100 kills on the season, with the latter coming off a season-high 16 kill performance at CIU. On the. set, Caroline Yeager and Grace Lamontagne lead the team with 207 and 205 assists, respectively.
 
Truett is the best team in the conference on the serve, ranking first in total aces (195) and aces per set (2.75). Five Lady Bears have over 20 aces including Yeager's 31 on the year. Defensively, Adleigh Schwier leads with 131 digs while Elizabeth Cook has 34 total blocks at the net, including 19 block solos.