LEXINGTON, Va. The Methodist volleyball team closed out its 2025 regular season on Saturday afternoon, falling in straight sets to Southern Virginia University inside the Duchossois Athletic Center.
Final scores: Southern Virginia def. Methodist, 3–0 (25–16, 25–20, 25–18)
Records: Methodist 15–14 (10–7 USA South), Pfeiffer 14–15 (8–9 USA South)
Location: Duchossois Athletic Center; Lexington, Virginia
How It Happened
- The set began evenly as Jamie Holton struck first for the Monarchs with a pair of early kills to even the score at 1–1. Methodist's offense, led by Addison Johnson and Savannah Hovander, found early success through the middle, helping the Monarchs tie the set 6–6. From there, Southern Virginia capitalized on several service runs and attack errors to go on a 9–3 stretch, pushing the score to 15–9. Methodist continued to battle, with Railyn Fowler and Carlyn Tanis combining for a key block, followed by a Holton kill that trimmed the deficit to 17–13. Despite the push, the Knights' front line answered with a series of kills, extending their advantage. A late ace and back-to-back kills from Southern Virginia sealed the set, 25–16.
- Southern Virginia carried its momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early 8–2 lead behind a strong service run and several Methodist attack errors. The Monarchs found rhythm midway through the frame thanks to back-to-back kills from Johnson and a sharp swing from Hovander, cutting the deficit to 11–7. From there, Faith Driver and Grace Tillery provided steady setting that fueled a balanced Methodist attack. Holton and Fowler helped the Monarchs rally to within three, 18–15, following consecutive kills from Johnson and Holton. Despite the push, the Knights' front linemclosed the set with timely kills and a late block to seal the 25–20 win.
- In the third frame, Southern Virginia jumped ahead early once again, taking a 10–5 lead behind strong play from Aubrey Packer and Summer Hahn. Methodist responded with a short run midway through the set, as Johnson, Hovander, and Holton each tallied kills to cut the deficit to 15–13. The Monarchs continued to battle, with Charleigh Hewett setting up quality looks and Fowler providing a key block to momentarily shift momentum. However, the Knights' consistent attacking from the pins proved too much down the stretch, as Southern Virginia used a 6–2 closing run to take the set 25–18 and secure the 3–0 match victory.
Highlights
- Holton paced the Monarchs offense with a team-high 11 kills.
- The Methodist setters, Driver and Hewett, shared setting duties, as Driver finished with 12 assists, while Hewett had 11.
- On defense, Johnson recorded the most digs for the Monarchs, with nine, followed closely by Mary Miller with eight.
Up Next
With the regular season now complete, Methodist turns its attention to the upcoming USA South Volleyball Tournament. Securing the fifth seed, the Monarchs will travel to fourth-seeded Meredith College on Tuesday, November 11, for a 6 PM match.
