SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In front of a sold out crowd inside the Weisiger Center on Friday night, the Converse University volleyball team defeated Southern Wesleyan 3-1 (25-16, 15-25, 25-16, 25-19).
Converse (6-7, 3-2 CC) starts out 1-0 at home for the second straight season, last year the Valkyries knocked off North Greenville in their home opener. With tonight's win the Valkyries have surpassed their season win total from a season ago. Meanwhile, Southern Wesleyan (1-11, 0-4 CC) drops their fourth straight conference match.
Despite feeding off a raucous crowd in the opening moments of the first set the two squads were deadlocked after the first 20 points of the match. A few points later the Valkyries went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-12 lead and whip the crowd back into a frenzy. Converse finished the set on a 6-2 run to claim the opening set against the Warriors.
Southern Wesleyan rebounded in the second set and silenced the crowd with a 10-2 run to open up the set. Converse attempted a late rally but ran out of time before falling 25-15 in the second stanza of action.
In the third set the Valkyries refocused and raced out to a 10-5 advantage in the early moments of the frame. Converse cruised through the rest of the period for a 25-16 set victory. Throughout the final period of action both teams stayed within striking distance of one another. The Valkyries ended the match on a 5-1 run and stopped their losing streak at two matches.
Jasmine Finkley led the team with 16 kills and 6 total blocks in the match against the Warriors.
Evelyn Fitz finished with an 8 kill and 16 dig performance, while
Savannah Ducote recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 15 digs.
Anna Rabon recorded a double-double with a 15 kill 16 dig performance against Southern Wesleyan.
Mackenzie Day led the team with 20 digs, while Mackenzie Schmucker recorded 18 assists in the victory.
Next Up:
Converse will host North Greenville at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow inside the Weisiger Center.
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