FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  On Wednesday, Methodist University hosted William Peace University in a thrilling USA South Athletic Conference volleyball match inside the March F. Riddle Center. At one point in the first and third sets, the Monarchs trailed by 6+ points but were able to overcome each setback to collect a 3-0 victory against the Pacers.

JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: Methodist def. William Peace, 3-0 (26-24, 25-11, 25-23)
Records: Methodist 23-4 (14-3 USA South), William Peace 15-15 (7-9)
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kills by Methodist hitters Mahala Carter, Jeanana Fowler, Jamie Holton, and Carlyn Tanis kept the start of the set tight, 4-4, but then William Peace scored eight of the next ten points to take a 12-6 advantage. Following a lengthy exchange of points by the teams, pushing the Pacers' lead to 20-13, an 8-2 Monarch run cut the deficit down to one and forced William Peace to call a timeout. After the quick breather, Methodist scored five of the last seven points to take the opening set.
• It was a different second set for the Monarchs as they took the early lead and did not relinquish it. Savannah Hovander (three kills) and Holton (one) got Methodist out to a 5-1 advantage, and then a pair of kills by Tanis sparked a 7-0 Monarch run. The scoring gap between these squads steadily increased down the stretch due to several Pacer mistakes.
• William Peace looked like a different team at the beginning of the third set, as the Pacer offense caught fire and jumped out a 10-4 lead. The combination of Hovander (two kills), Tanis (two), Holton (one), and Fowler (one) during a 7-2 run would bring Methodist to within one of William Peace, 15-14, but then a quick Pacer scoring spurt made it a four-point difference again. Following a Monarch timeout, Methodist knotted up the score, 20-20, forcing William Peace to call a timeout. The Pacers came out of the huddle and were able to take one last lead, 23-21, but in the end, it would be the Monarchs who recorded the final four points.

MORE TO IT

• Tonight's win gives Methodist the regular season sweep of William Peace, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 2012.
• For the third time this season, the opposition finished with more team assists than Methodist, as William Peace contributed 38 helpers while the Monarchs had 35. The same is true individually, with Maegan Brylski of the Pacers outdoing Hannah Hewett by a small margin, 31 to 27 respectively.
•  A trio of Monarchs accumulated double-digit dig numbers. Leading the way was Hewett (15), followed by Blake O'Brien (13) and Tanis (12).

UP NEXT
Methodist plays its regular-season finale on Saturday, November 9, when the Monarchs welcome Southern Virginia University. The match will also be the team's senior day. The opening serve is scheduled for noon.