FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. Pulling off a sweep at home, the Methodist volleyball team edged out the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan University three times on Wednesday to get back to .500 in conference play. The Monarchs relied heavily on
Savannah Hovander early in the match before utilizing
Jamie Holton down the stretch.
Final scores: Methodist def. North Carolina Wesleyan, 3–0 (25–21, 25–20, 26–24)
Records: Methodist 11–13 (6–6 USA South), North Carolina Wesleyan 9–16 (1–11 USA South)
Location: March F. Riddle Center; Fayetteville, North Carolina
How It Happened
The Battling Bishops came ready to play, winning the first four points of the match. Down 5–1, the Monarchs rattled off five straight points, including three kills by Hovander, to take a 6–5 lead. The visitors lived up to their nickname, battling hard the whole match and taking a 16–15 advantage in the first set before Methodist regroup and earned the victory.
N.C. Wesleyan benefited from some Methodist errors early in the second set, and back–to–back kills by Emily Foraker gave the Battling Bishops an 11–7 lead.
Carlyn Tanis and
Addison Johnson contributed two kills each as the Monarchs stormed from behind to tie the score at 14–14. With a slim 21–20 lead, Methodist took the next four points (with two service aces by Johnson) to win another set.
Methodist was the first team to string three points in a row in the third set when it pulled ahead 12–10. The Battling Bishops immediately called timeout, then recorded their own three consecutive points to force a Methodist timeout. Trailing by one, the Monarchs scored five straight to take a 21–17 lead, but the visitors weren't ready to go home just yet. The next four points went in favor of N.C. Wesleyan, tying the score at 21–21. With two more kills by Johnson, Methodist forced match point with a 24–22 lead, but the Battling Bishops persisted, claiming back–to–back points to draw even with the home team. A kill for Holton put the advantage in favor of Methodist, and an error by the visitors on the next point gifted the Monarchs one final set win.
Highlights
Methodist saw its best hitting percentage (.212) and fewest attack errors (16) since facing William Peace University on Oct. 4. Individually, Hovander had the most efficient night for Methodist with 12 kills and just three attack errors on 30 total attempts, giving her an attack percentage of .300. Holton was tied with 12 kills, while Johnson was the third Monarch in double digits with 11 kills.
Charleigh Anne Hewett tallied 30 assists on the outing, marking the 10th time she's reached the 30–assist threshold this season.
Up Next
The Monarchs stay home for their next match — a clash with Salem College on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Editor's note: Statistics were corrected following this interview after the match. Holton's official stat line includes 12 kills and 14 digs.
