ROME, Ga.- The Shorter Volleyball team fended off a late comeback attempt by Southern Wesleyan Tuesday night at the Winthrop-King Centre, holding on for a 3-2 (25-18, 25-19, 26-28, 21-25, 15-8) victory.
The win improves Shorter to 4-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The victory also marks the tenth straight win for the Hawks against the Warriors.
Shorter capitalized on Southern Wesleyan's errors early in the first set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead. The Hawks controlled the pace for the remainder of the set, cruising to an opening-set victory. Shorter's strong play carried into the second set as the Hawks opened with a 5-1 run. The visitors fought back as both teams battled closely, but Shorter closed the set on a 10-4 run to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Hawks once again got off to a hot start in the third set, taking a 6-2 lead following a kill from Lana Maluda. The Warriors slowly chipped away at the deficit, but Shorter maintained its advantage. After taking a 24-21 lead, the Hawks fell victim to a quick Southern Wesleyan run that brought the Warriors back into the set. The teams traded points late, but Southern Wesleyan edged out Shorter 28-26 to force a fourth set. Shorter struggled to find its rhythm in the fourth set and fell behind early. The Warriors capitalized and cruised to a fourth-set win to force a decisive fifth set.
After a brief exchange of points to begin the final set, Shorter found its momentum. The Hawks closed the match on a 9-2 run to pull away from the Warriors and secure the 3-2 victory.
Emily Drier had a career night for the Hawks, leading the team with a career-high 19 kills and 23 points. Drier's 23 points are the most by a Hawk in a match this season. Caroline Sivills added 13 kills and 15 points. Helena Kelley and Brooke Thao led the way in assists, with Kelley dishing out 27 and Thao recording a season-high 25. Caitlyn Sutton led the Hawks with 23 digs, while Acca Berube and Thao each finished with 14.
As a unit, Shorter recorded 72 kills tonight. The Hawks' 72 kills mark the fourth-most in a single match in program history.
"I am proud of the girls for pulling out another gritty fifth-set win," said Head Coach Taylor Watson. "We are putting our heads down and getting back to work".
UP NEXT
The Hawks will take the road this weekend as they face off against Mount Olive this Saturday. First serve will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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