Shorter University Athletics

ROME, Ga.- The Shorter Volleyball team battled Ferrum College in a five-set thriller Friday evening, falling 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 25-17, 11-15) at the Winthrop-King Centre. The loss drops the Hawks to 11-14 overall and 8-8 in Conference Carolinas play.
 
 
Shorter came out strong in the opening frame, jumping out to an early 4-1 lead. The Panthers responded, keeping the contest close as both teams traded points throughout the set. After Ferrum evened the score at 21-21, the Hawks responded with three consecutive points to take a 24-21 advantage. Ferrum made one final push, but Emily Drier delivered the finishing kill to give Shorter a 25-23 opening set victory.
 
 
 
The Panthers responded in the second set, taking an early 7-4 advantage. Shorter fought back to even the score at 10-10, but Ferrum began to create separation midway through the frame. The visitors extended their lead to 21-14 before the Hawks attempted a late comeback. Despite the effort, Ferrum held on for a 25-20 win to even the match.
 
 
 
The third set was another tightly contested battle, with both teams exchanging points early. Shorter used a four-point run to grab a 9-7 lead before the Panthers responded. Ferrum eventually built an 18-14 advantage, but the Hawks continued to battle, cutting the deficit to just one point at 23-22. The Panthers managed to hold off the late rally, taking the third set 25-22 to move ahead in the match.
 
 
Facing elimination, Shorter responded with an impressive showing in the fourth set. The Hawks jumped out to an early 6-3 advantage and continued to build momentum behind strong offensive play. After extending their lead to 12-7, Shorter maintained control throughout the remainder of the frame. The Hawks cruised to a 25-17 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
 
Ferrum seized control early in the decisive fifth set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Shorter refused to go away, battling back to cut the deficit to 7-5. The Panthers responded with another run to extend their advantage to 10-5, but the Hawks continued to fight. Behind strong play from Whitlee Harvey and Caroline Sivills, Shorter cut the lead to 14-11 before Ferrum secured the final point to take the set 15-11 and claim the match.
 
 
Offensively, Caroline Sivills led the Hawks with 17 kills and three blocks, finishing with 19 points. Whitlee Harvey followed closely with 16 kills and 15 digs, while Emily Drier added 11 kills. Lana Maluda also contributed 10 kills on an impressive .304 hitting percentage.

 
 
Helena Kelley paced the offense with 29 assists, four service aces and 12 digs. Defensively, Caitlyn Sutton led Shorter with 20 digs, while the Hawks finished with 82 digs and 68 kills as a team.



UP NEXT
Shorter will aim to bounce back as they host Barton tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.  


FOLLOW THE HAWKS
For complete coverage of Shorter Volleyball, follow the Hawks on social media at @ShorterHawks on X and @shorter_volleyball on Instagram, or visit the official home of Shorter Athletics at goshorterhawks.com.