Buena Vista, VA. — North Carolina Wesleyan closed out Saturday's tri-match at Southern Virginia University with a five-set battle against the host Knights inside Knight Arena.
The Battling Bishops came out strong and took control early, winning the opening set 25-22 before carrying that momentum into the second. Wesleyan posted 19 kills in the frame and pulled away for a 25-19 victory to build a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Southern Virginia responded with a 25-18 win in the third before edging Wesleyan 25-23 in a tightly contested fourth set that featured eight ties. The match then moved to a decisive fifth frame, where the two teams battled through four ties and three lead changes before Southern Virginia came away with a 15-12 win to take the match 3-2.
Emilee Wilson turned in a standout all-around performance, leading the Wesleyan attack with 13 kills while also dishing out 38 assists and collecting 21 digs. Sadie Schramm, Brooklynn Covic and Ashley Hinton each added 11 kills, while Kendall Gleason finished with eight.
The Bishops were strong defensively throughout the match, finishing with 105 digs as a team. Jadyn Smith led the effort with 25 digs, while Brooke Mandozzi added 22. Wilson finished with 21 digs, Hinton added 15 and Kinsey Peel collected 12.
Wesleyan finished the match with 62 kills, including 19 in the second set and 15 in the fourth. The Bishops also recorded six block assists, with Schramm leading the way with three.
