RALEIGH, N.C.  Methodist took care of business Tuesday in the opening round of the USA South Athletic Conference volleyball tournament, but ran into a rested top seed immediately afterward and fell out of the postseason in the quarterfinal round.

The Monarchs defeated Salem College, 3-1, in the first match of the night in Weatherspoon Gym at host Meredith College. Three straight set wins after dropping the opener to the Spirits pushed Methodist into the next round where East Division champion Meredith waited.

The Avenging Angels used that freshness to their advantage, working past the Monarchs, 3-0, for a berth in the semifinals of the league tournament.

JUST THE FACTS
What: First and second rounds of the USA South volleyball tournament
Where: Weatherspoon Gym, Meredith College; Raleigh, N.C.
Final scores: Methodist def. Salem, 3-1 (19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-17); Meredith def. Methodist, 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-16)
Records: Methodist 17-10; Meredith 21-4; Salem 12-17

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Methodist and Salem split their matches during the season, each winning via 3-0 sweeps. Oddly, despite the margins each won by, the total points in the six matches left the teams separated by one measly point, 133 for the Monarchs and 132 for the Spirits.
•  Salem never trailed in taking the first set, but Methodist responded in the second, pounding out a 10-point victory while forcing the Sprits into a negative attack percentage.
• The Monarchs built on what was working in that second set -- feed Brittany Ter Meer, and block like crazy.
• Ter Meer notched five kills in the second set, five more in the third, then had to share top honors on the attack in the fourth with Megan Andrews, each accumulating six kills in the deciding set.
• On the defensive side of the top tape at the net were Methodist's blockers. The Monarchs finished the victory with 8.0 blocks -- without surrendering a block to Salem -- led by Ter Meer's 3.5, which included a solo block, Lili Henry's 2.0 blocks, 1.5 from Andrews and 1.0 from Jasmine Tapscott.
• Another aspect that helped turn the tide after the first set was Methodist's serve receive. Salem notched seven service aces in that opening set, but none in the second, and only one apiece in the third and fourth sets.
• Methodist tallied 164 attacks in the match, finishing with a .195 attacking rate. But Salem was valiant in defending that onslaught from above the net, ending with 89 digs, including 33 while trying to fend of the end of its season in the deciding fourth set.
• No slouches themselves in that regard, the Monarchs put four players in double figures for digs, paced by 14 each from Alyssa Coffey and Andrews. Scooping up 11 each were Riley Adair and Lydia Lawrence.
• After that opening set, there were just four lead changes in the rest of the match, and none in the fourth as the Monarchs put away the Spirits to end their season.
• Ter Meer tallied 19 kills in the victory, nearly double the leader from Salem, Madelyn Chappell, who ended with 10. Also reaching double digits on the attack for the Monarchs was Andrews, with 11.
• Forty minutes later, Methodist was back out on the court at Weatherspoon, squaring off against an Avenging Angels squad that had earned the opportunity to sit, rest, and scout their next opponent.
• Things just never came together for the Monarchs in the opening set. Tied at 4-4, Meredith ran off six straight points, and though Methodist would answer with three of its own, the set got away from Methodist, resulting in a quick deficit to the East Division's top seed.
• The second set was a different story, though. It probably provided the turning point of the match.
• The two teams scraped and clawed their way through the early going, separated by no more than two points until a spurt from Methodist provided a three-point advantage at 14-11. Meredith would claim five of the next seven points to pull back into the set and eventually the score would be knotted at 19-19.
• The Monarchs scored the next two points and looked like they might roll to the end and square the match. Those next points were probably the pivot point in the match.
• Meredith responded with two points to tie it at 21-21, but gave back the lead on a service error. It answered that mistake with two points to take the lead, 23-22, forcing Methodist to call a time out to think things over.
• The discussion worked as Tapscott pounded through a quick-set from Henry to knot things up again -- and now coerce the Angels to call a timeout. That, too, seemed to work as Meredith ran off the final two points for the set win, and a deflating loss for the Monarchs.
•  A 1-1 tie in the third set would be as close at Methodist would get in the deciding, and season-ending, third set. Meredith closed with a .353 attack rate in that set, against a negative .033 from the Monarchs.
• Ter Meer, a senior in her final match, again led Methodist's attack, registering nine more kills. Tapscott, also a senior, would add seven to help with the attack.
• Coffey, the other senior on the roster, finished with a team best 12 digs and added a pair of service aces.

MONARCH BITS

• This is the second consecutive season in which Methodist advanced into the quarterfinal round. It dropped out of the 2015 tournament after an opening-round loss, and didn't qualify for the 2016 tournament.
• The senior class achieved a winning record in three of four seasons, and this fall defeated perennial USA South contender Averett University for the first time in their careers, a 3-2 victory on Oct. 23 after trailing the Cougars 2-0.