ROME, Ga.- The Shorter Volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Southern Wesleyan Tuesday night in the Winthrop-King Centre.
After a close start, the Hawks gained some momentum in the opening set, taking a 17-9 lead. The Warriors did not back down, going on a run themselves to even it at 24. The Hawks kept their composure, scoring two straight to take the first set. The visitors came out firing in the second set on a 9-3 run to begin. The Hawks rallied back on a 10-2 run to tie it and bring back their momentum. Both sides traded points late, but it would be the Warriors who pulled ahead to tie the series.
The third set proved to be a battle between both sides that saw no team lead by more than two. Shorter would go down to the wire late and pull ahead with a 28-26 victory to take the 2-1 series lead. The visitors responded well in the fourth set, jumping out in front 7-3. Shorter once again rallied, going on a dominant 11-4 run to take a 14-11 lead. The Warriors made one last push but could not overcome the Hawks' momentum, as Shorter snapped their seven-match losing streak with a gutsy 3-1 win.
Victoria Sparks posted her ninth triple-double with 16 kills, 14 digs, and 16 points. Alongside Sparks,
Claudia Loyola added 13 digs while
Brooke Thao and
Caitlyn Sutton each recorded 11 to add to the Hawks' totals.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will begin their road in the Conference Carolinas tournament this Sunday as the seventh seed, where they will travel to Pembroke, North Carolina, to take on the 12th-seeded Barton Bulldogs.
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