GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Methodist University women's volleyball team battled hard in two contests in the Triad, falling just shy in a USA South clash against Greensboro College, 3-1, however would triumph in the closing match, 3-0, over Sweet Briar College inside Haynes Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Final Score (Game One): Greensboro def. Methodist, 3-1 (18-25, 15-25, 25-20, 20-25)
Final Score (Game Two): Methodist def. Sweet Briar, 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-19)
Records: Methodist 5-7 (2-2 USA South), Greensboro 13-2 (4-1 USA South), Sweet Briar 0-12 (0-2 ODAC)
Location: Haynes Gymnasium; Greensboro, N.C.
Match One (vs. Greensboro)
- Set one featured a back-and-forth battle between the Pride and the Monarchs, with sophomore Grace Tillery, junior Kassidy Edge, and sophomore Addison Johnson each cashing in with early kills. Johnson would tally four kills in the set, however the Monarchs would drop the first stanza to Greensboro off defensive miscues late, 25-18.
- The Pride would cruise to a nine-point rally in set two, with Abigail Leo collecting two kills in the process. Greensboro would hold several defensive errors midway through the second, allowing Methodist to cut Greensboro's lead down to eight. The Pride would ultimately pull through for their second point, 25-15, from a kill by Payton Bell and a service ace by Morgan Mayfield.
- The Monarchs would throw Greensboro off their game in set three, with sophomores Ashley Farman and Addison Johnson, along with senior Savannah Hovander collecting several kills through Methodist's 13-3 rally over the Pride. Methodist would triumph late in the third stanza from freshman Harper Evans's closing kill, putting the Monarchs on the board with a 25-20 set victory.
- Senior Savannah Hovander's serving skills drove the Monarchs to a hot start in set four as she snagged three service aces through 7-2 Methodist scoring streak. Greensboro would strike late in the stanza from Abigail Leo and Larkin Baxley, with Baxley earning four kills in the period to propel the Pride to a match point, 25-20, and a Greensboro victory in the match, 3-1.
Match Two (vs. Sweet Briar)
- Three straight service aces went in the Monarchs favor in the opening set, all due to sophomore Addison Johnson's stellar serving technique to throw the Vixens off course. Senior Savannah Hovander landed five kills in the first stanza for Methodist to pull away with a commanding 25-9 set victory over Sweet Briar.
- The Monarchs commenced set two with a dominant 15-3 rally, with sophomores Grace Tillery and Ashley Farman, getting on the action with a kill each, while sophomore Payten Bracey cashed in on a service ace for Methodist. Johnson would close set two in dominant fashion off two kills, concluding the middle stanza by a score of 25-10 in favor of the Monarchs.
- The Vixens made things interesting in the final set, beginning with an Addison Garner kill for Sweet Briar to go on a 4-0 run. Hovander would wrap up the match for Methodist with three kills in the Monarchs final four points to end set three by a final of 25-19, marking a 3-0 match victory for Methodist.
More To It
- Sophomore Addison Johnson and senior Savannah Hovander collected 12 and 11 kills, respectively against the Pride. Hovander would dominate the Monarchs service technique with five aces overall. Junior Kassidy Edge was the top defensive performer against Greensboro, collecting four blocks alongside Hovander's three for the Monarchs.
- Senior Savannah Hovander finished one off her season high of kills in 2026, landing 16 kills against the Vixens in match two. Sophomore Addison Johnson threw her foes off their game with five service aces, alongside sophomore Grace Tillery who had five blocks in the Monarchs ultimate match of the day versus Sweet Briar.
Up Next
The Monarchs head back on the road for a weekday USA South battle against Meredith College on Tuesday, September 29th inside the Weatherspoon Athletic Center, with first serve slated for 6:00 PM.
