FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Judged by the opening set, Wednesday's non-conference volleyball match against visiting Roanoke College looked like it might turn into a runaway as Methodist pounded its way to a quick win.

The Maroons would come off the mat during a second set defeat, building momentum that turned into a win in the third set, forcing Methodist to battle in a fourth set at the Riddle Center in the regular-season home finale.

A break from a 4-4 tie in that set pushed the Monarchs into a lead that would only be as small as two points, once, the rest of the way as Methodist closed out the match and their Riddle appearances with a 3-1 win over the Maroons.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Roanoke, 3-1 (25-12, 26-24, 21-25, 25-18)
Records: Methodist 15-8, Roanoke 16-9
Location: Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ultimately, that break from the 4-4 tie in the fourth set, though already ahead 2-1 in the match, was a pivot point. Methodist had led 4-1 but surrendered three consecutive points to the Maroons tied the score. Megan Andrews knocked down a kill to break the tie, and Roanoke then gave away the next two points on an attacking error followed by a ball-handling mistake on a set.
• Roanoke inched back with two of the next three points, at 8-6, but that would be as close as they would come the rest of the set.
• A 3-0 spurt at 11-7 increased the cushion, and a 5-0 run at 14-8 hit home the proverbial nail.
• Methodist picked up its 23rd point on a serving error, added the next point on an attacking error, then finished the set and match off with another Andrews kill from the left corner.
• Methodist just came out of the gate so strongly against the Maroons. Roanoke scored the first point of the match, but the Monarchs reeled off six unanswered to exert early dominance. Roanoke scored consecutive points only at 18-6 and at a 23-10 deficit, while Methodist kept stringing together runs that widened the gap.
• The Monarchs showed their mettle in that overtime second set as the teams gave the fans some bonus volleyball. Three lead changes and six tie scores, the last few at 21-21, 22-22, 23-23 and 24-24, pushed both teams to overtime in the set before a Jasmine Tapscott kill and a Roanoke attacking error ended the set in Methodist's favor.
• The work that Roanoke was putting in during that set defeat translated nicely into its third set of the night, as the visitors scored the first four points and never looked back, staving off defeat for at least the moment.

STATS n'AT

• Brittany Ter Meer ruled the net for Methodist. Of Methodist's 48 kills on the night, Ter Meer registered 21 of them -- one shy of her single-match career high (22, Oct. 1, 2016). She also added a solo block and five block assists.
• The Monarch's combined for 10 total blocks on the night, while Roanoke only came away with 4. In addition to Ter Meer's numbers, Tapscott and Jamie Jones had four block assists, and even setter Lili Henry had three block assists.
• Speaking of Henry, the attack, like always, ran through her. Henry tossed up a match-high 36 assists, the 13th time this season in which she's had 30 or more, including in her past three matches.
• Andrews had a good night all around the court, contributing six kills, 17 digs, a set assist and a block assist.
• Jones also played well not just at the net. Along with her blocks for the defense, she added five digs and put down six kills.
• Methodist hit the century mark in digs during the match. Of the 100 it registered, Alyssa Coffey had nearly a quarter of them with 24 on the night. Andrews' 17 were next, followed by 16 from Riley Adair, 15 by Henry and 11 from Maddie Barga, which put five Monarchs in double figures.

UP NEXT
Methodist closed out the regular season on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., at William Peace University. The Monarchs will play Greensboro in the middle match of a USA South tri-match, followed by the regular-season finale against William Peace at 4 p.m.