SALEM, Va.  Methodist volleyball closed out the second day of the Maroon Classic by sweeping its two non-conference matches, downing Ferrum College, 3-1, in Saturday's early match and then Hollins University, 3-0, in an early-afternoon bout.

Hannah Hewett -- named to the all-tournament team -- posted a season-high 45 set assists in the four-set victory over Ferrum, while Kendall Craig's 18 kills for the day brings her early-season total (73) to just seven shy of her single-season high of 80 (23 matches in 2019).

JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: Methodist def. Ferrum, 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 26-24); Methodist def. Hollins, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-17)
Records: Methodist 5-4, Ferrum 1-6, Hollins 1-5
Event: Maroon Classic
Host: Roanoke College
Location: Bast Center; Salem, Va.
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Methodist rallied back from an opening-set loss to Ferrum with a strong performance in the second set, opening with a 6-1 spurt and never trailing the Panthers on the way to evening the match at a set apiece.
• Tied at 17-17 in the third, the Monarchs closed out the set win by taking eight of the last 11 points.
• The overtime fourth set was tied at 21-21 when Ferrum set up a match point by taking three unanswered points. However, it was Methodist that rolled to the two-point victory by reeling off five unanswered points of its own, capped by a service ace by Ellie Atkins.
• The Monarchs were fueled by a pair of 6-0 runs in the opening two sets against Hollins, using the first run when trailing 11-10 in the first set, and getting the second spurt when narrowly leading 11-10 in the second.
• Geneva Barriger recorded the set-winning point in both sets, knocking down an attack to clinch the first set, then dropping in a service ace to win the second set.
• Methodist never trailed in the third set but Hollins snuck back into the game late, pulling to within five at 20-15. The Monarchs rang up the next four points, though, then finished off the set and match victory with the last of Craig's kills on the day.

MORE TO IT

• Methodist had a difficult time getting its attack on track in Friday's pair of losses, finishing with attack percentages of just .105 and .019. But Saturday was a different day as the Monarchs improved to .263 in the win over Ferrum, and finished the Hollins victory at .258, which included a mark of .292 in the second set.
• Service aces, a staple of the Methodist program, were on display again on Saturday. The 12 in the match against Ferrum was the fourth time the Monarchs reached double digits in aces this season, and they were one short of another double-figure match during the win over Hollins.
• Barriger led the attack against Ferrum, with 15 kills, but Jeanana Fowler chimed in with 12 of her own to put two Monarchs in double figures at the net.
• Janie Harmelink's 21 digs against Ferrum and 11 against Hollins were both match-high numbers.
• The win over Ferrum was the fourth in a row by the Monarchs, and the win over Hollins was their ninth straight.

UP NEXT
Methodist takes on host Guilford College in a non-conference match Friday at 7 p.m. The Quakers have won their last two matches against the Monarchs, who had won three in a row before Guilford ended the streak in 2018.