Southwestern University

GEORGETOWN, TEXAS – Taking on Sewanee in a marathon of a match that saw little separation, the Southwestern University Volleyball team defeated the Tigers 3-2 (25-27, 25-20, 26-24, 20-25, 15-7) in a five-set thriller on Sunday afternoon inside the Robertson Center to close the SU SAA pod. The win moves the Pirates to 14-6 overall and 5-3 in SAA play.
 
Southwestern came out strong, building an early lead behind kills from Lucy Riggar and Alta Wilson. Sewanee responded with a big scoring run to take control late in the set, but the Pirates fought back to even the score at 25-25. The Tigers secured the final two points to take the opening set 27-25.
 
The Pirates responded in the second set, using a strong offensive showing to build separation midway through the frame. Southwestern stretched its lead to 16-8 behind kills from Sophia Burke and Kendall Jurgens before staying in control down the stretch. Riggar and Wilson delivered the final two kills to secure a 25-20 win and tie the match at 1-1.
 
The third set saw another tight battle, with neither team able to create separation. Sewanee led 22-16, but Southwestern used behind a strong serving run from Caroline Srubar and kills from Tatum Ahrens to cut the deficit and pull even at 24-24 before closing out the set 26-24 to take a 2-1 match lead.
 
Sewanee jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set, forcing Southwestern to play from behind. The Pirates responded with a strong run, turning a 10-2 deficit into an 11-11 tie behind kills from Riggar, Evamarie Planchet and Burke. The Tigers regained control late, however, pulling away to win 25-20 and force a deciding fifth set.
 
Southwestern took control early in the decisive set, using a strong run to turn a 2-2 tie into an 8-3 lead. The Pirates continued to build momentum behind Riggar and Planchet, extending their lead to 14-6 before Planchet registered the final kill to secure the 15-7 win.
 
MATCH NOTES

• The Pirates finished with a season-high 63 assists, led by Caroline Srubar who recorded 30.
• Riggar led the Pirates with 17 kills and she became the fifth SU player to reach 100 or more kills this season as she now has 113.
• Southwestern finished with 13 blocks, which is a new season-high. Burke and Planchet tallied four blocks apiece.

UP NEXT
The Pirates will be back in action next weekend as they begin an eight-game road trip, starting with three matches in the Centre College pod.