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Celebrating win at Pfeiffer 2023
3
Winner Methodist METHU 6-2,1-0 USA South
1
Pfeiffer PFE 2-1,0-1 USA South
Winner
Methodist METHU
6-2,1-0 USA South
3
Final
1
Pfeiffer PFE
2-1,0-1 USA South
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Methodist METHU 25 25 26 25 (3)
Pfeiffer PFE 23 12 28 22 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Matthew Shealy

Monarch Volleyball Starts 1-0 in USA South Action

7MISENHEIMER, N.C.  Facing their first USA South foe of the 2023 season on Wednesday, the women's volleyball Monarchs pounced on the host team, outperforming the Pfeiffer Falcons to the tune of a 3-1 victory.

JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: Methodist def. Pfeiffer, 3-1 (25-23, 25-12, 26-28, 25-22)
Records: Methodist 6-2 (1-0 USA South), Pfeiffer 2-1 (0-1)
Location: Merner Gym; Misenheimer, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Pfeiffer scored the first point of the match, then jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Methodist settled in, serving up a seven-point win streak that featured three kills by Savannah Hovander. The Monarchs kept pushing ahead, with three powerful kills by Jeanana Fowler along the way to an 18-11 Methodist advantage. The Falcons rallied back, tying the score at 19-19 after winning eight of the next nine points, but the Monarchs reclaimed the lead and took the first set, 25-23.
  • Methodist began the second set with two kills – one recorded by Aniyah Tate and another by Hovander – but Pfeiffer answered with a four-point run. The two teams were neck-and-neck, but with the score tied at 9-9, the momentum began to swing fully in favor of the Monarchs. Methodist benefited from numerous Pfeiffer miscues before Hannah Hewett notched a service ace to give the Monarchs a 19-10 lead. Methodists' final six points of the set were all kills: one for Mahala Carter, one for Tate, two for Hovander and two for Jamie Holton.
  • The Falcons took control early in the third set, going up 2-0 and not relinquishing the lead to Methodist until the Monarchs recorded four points in a row to go from trailing 24-21 to leading 25-24. With a rowdy home crowd cheering the host team on, Pfeiffer held on to escape the sweep.
  • After dropping the first point in the fourth set, Methodist took the next five, which included three Holton kills. Holton continued to collect points for the Monarchs, recording another kill to give the team a 9-7 advantage, followed by a service ace on the next point that put Methodist up by three. The Monarchs momentarily let the lead slip through their grasp, and though they didn't let Pfeiffer stay in front for long, the score remained tight. Up 23-20, Methodist conceded the next two points to the Falcons. With their backs against the wall, Hewett tapped a feed from Blake O'Brien over the net, finding a hole in the Pfeiffer defense to reach match point. To put a punctuation mark on the evening, Fowler launched a serve over the net that the Falcons couldn't return, earning the ace and the win.
MORE TO IT
  • Posting a career-high 20 kills, freshman Savannah Hovander led the match with 22 points. She recorded just three attack errors on 55 attempts, giving her an attack percentage of .515.
  • USA South Athletes of the Week Blake O'Brien and Hannah Hewett led the team in digs (17) and assists (46), respectively.
  • Methodist's 28-26 loss in the third set marks the fifth time the Monarchs have played in a set where the winning score ends higher than 25 this season. Methodist has been on the losing end of those sets all but once.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs will continue to face USA South opponents, traveling to Brevard, N.C. on Saturday for a conference Tri-Match. Methodist plays Mary Baldwin at 12 p.m. and Brevard at 2 p.m.
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