FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. The resilient Methodist volleyball team played a tight match against the top team in the USA South on Thursday night, ultimately falling to Greensboro College in four sets. The Monarchs fell behind by dropping the first two sets and were unable to complete the comeback despite claiming the third set and holding a six–point lead in the fourth.
Final scores: Greensboro def. Methodist, 3–1 (25–22, 25–23, 20–25, 25–23)
Records: Methodist 10–12 (5–5 USA South), Greensboro 17–2 (11–0 USA South)
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, North Carolina
How It Happened
Addison Johnson was red hot to start the game for Methodist, winning the team's first three points via kills. The Monarchs held a 7–4 lead but watched the Pride blow past with a 9–1 run. Methodist managed to pull back within one point multiple times, including on a kill by Johnson to make the score 22–21. Greensboro's Payton Shiflet earned kills on the next two points to force set point, and after an error allowed the Monarchs to pull a point closer, Shiflet finished the set off with her sixth kill.
Methodist won the first point of the second set on a kill by
Carlyn Tanis, and again the Monarchs found themselves a couple of points ahead. After the Pride gathered some momentum and took an 11–9 lead, the Monarchs claimed four straight points with kills by Johnson,
Savannah Hovander and
Jamie Holton. Methodist put together another four–point run shortly after (with two kills by Tanis and a service ace from
Mary Miller) to make the score 22–20, but the Pride closed the set on a 5–1 run.
Methodist's 6–2 lead in the third set quickly became a 7–6 deficit after five straight Greensboro points. Trailing 14–11, the Monarchs showed determination that began with back–to–back kills by Holton. Those kills were the start of an 8–2 run that saw four kills by Tanis along the way. Methodist held onto the lead the time as Johnson sealed the set victory with a kill for the 25th point.
Things looked up for the Monarchs when they started the fourth set with a 5–0 advantage. The lead became 12–6 before the tides changed and Greensboro rattled off a 6–1 run to pull within one point (13–12). Methodist remained in control until the score drew even at 19–19. Not relinquishing the lead, the Monarchs claimed a 22–20 edge on a kill by Holton, but the Pride captured the next two points to tie the match again. Tanis recorded the kill that gave the home team a 23–22 lead, but three consecutive points in favor of the visitors ended the match.
Service errors proved costly for the Monarchs as they totaled 11 on the night. The Monarchs did, however, see more success than Greensboro in both kills and hitting percentage, recording 58 kills to the Pride's 48 and producing an attack percentage of .193 compared to Greensboro's .183.
Highlights
Johnson led the Monarchs with a season–best 22 kills, crushing her previous high of 16. On the opposite side of the net, Shiflet tallied 24 kills for her second most in a single game this season.
Holton recorded Methodist's lone double–double, collecting 17 kills and 19 digs. Defensively, Hovander contributed five blocks while Miller totaled 18 digs.
Up Next
Methodist travels to Raleigh on Saturday for a matchup with William Peace University at 1 p.m. The Monarchs won the first match between the two teams earlier this season by a score of 3–1.
