FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Methodist was in the fight, but lost three battles Wednesday night at the Riddle Center as visiting Meredith College swept the Monarchs, 3-0, in a USA South Athletic Conference volleyball match.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Meredith def. Methodist, 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-17)
Records: Methodist 9-12 (1-8 USA So.), Meredith 13-6 (7-2)
Location: Riddle Center; Fayetteville, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After dropping the first set, Methodist pushed back in the second, trading the lead several times in the early going and later holding multi-point leads at 10-7 and again at 14-12.
• A Meredith 5-0 run erased the deficit of that second Monarch advantage, however Methodist later inched in front again at 22-21. The Avenging Angels responded with three unanswered points to wrest the lead away and register a set point.
• Methodist managed to hold Meredith off for one point but not two as the Avenging Angels knocked down a set-winning kill to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
• Down but not out, the Monarchs rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to take leads at 7-6, 8-7, 9-8 and 10-9.
• Meredith would take 10 of the next 11 points, though, to take command, eventually winning the set and match.

MATCH NOTES

• Jeanana Fowler and Geneva Barriger paced the Monarch attack with nine kills apiece, one shy of the match-leading 10 kills by Meredith's Whitney Bolton.
• Erica East's 1.5 blocks was second only to Meredith's Lauren Bissette, who finished with 2.0 blocks.
• Janie Harmelink recorded a match-high 13 digs for Methodist, while Hannah Hewett and Barriger would both also reach double digits with 10 each.

UP NEXT

• Methodist hosts a USA South tri-match in its next outing, welcoming Averett University and Pfeiffer University to the Riddle Center on Saturday.
• Meredith travels to Mary Baldwin University on Saturday for a conference tri-match with the hosts and Southern Virginia University.