DANVILLE, KENTUCKY – Taking on the No. 2/5 team in the country, Southwestern volleyball battled Centre College through five sets Saturday afternoon before falling 3-2 (15-25, 25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 11-15). The Pirates move to 15-8 overall and 6-5 in SAA play.
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Centre took control early in the opening set, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead with a three-point run. Southwestern briefly responded with a pair of points, including a kill from
Sophia Burke, but the Colonels continued to build their advantage. After Centre stretched its lead to 12-4, the Pirates looked to gain momentum late. Southwestern put together a four-point run, highlighted by three consecutive service aces from
Carly Caraway, to cut the deficit to 24-15. Centre closed the set on the next point, taking a 25-15 win.
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The Pirates responded in the second set, keeping the score close early before using a key run to create separation. After the teams traded points through the opening stretch, Southwestern moved ahead 7-5 with consecutive points, including a block by Burke. Centre pulled even at 7-7, but the Pirates answered with a three-point run to take a 10-7 lead. Southwestern continued to apply pressure, with kills from
Evamarie Planchet and
Alta Wilson helping maintain the lead. The Pirates later broke open a 14-14 tie with four straight points, highlighted by consecutive kills from Burke and a block by Burke and Planchet. Southwestern extended the lead to 24-16 with another three-point run and closed out the set 25-18 to even the match.
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Southwestern carried its momentum into the third set, overcoming an early deficit to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Centre took an early 5-1 lead to start, but the Pirates began chipping away with points from Wilson and Burke. After Centre held a 14-10 lead, Southwestern mounted its strongest push of the set, scoring seven consecutive points to move in front 17-14. Burke and Planchet each recorded kills during the run, while the Pirates also capitalized on Centre attack errors. Southwestern continued to build its lead, stretching the margin to 22-12 with another strong stretch at the net. Centre tried to rally late, but the Pirates maintained control and secured a 25-18 victory.
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Centre answered in the fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth set after a back-and-forth battle. The Colonels jumped ahead early and built a 16-10 advantage, putting Southwestern in a difficult position. The Pirates responded with a six-point run, using kills from
Lucy Riggar, Burke, Planchet and
Tatum Ahrens to erase the deficit and take an 18-17 lead. The teams traded points from there, tying the score at 18, 19 and 20 before Centre edged ahead. Southwestern remained within reach, tying the set at 23-23, but Centre scored the final two points to claim a 25-23 win and force a fifth set.
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In the fifth set, Southwestern again battled back after Centre jumped out to an early lead. The Pirates trailed 3-1 before consecutive kills from
Kendall Jurgens and Ahrens helped them take a 5-4 lead. Centre used a three-point run to regain control, and the teams continued trading points through the middle portion of the set. Southwestern tied the score at 8-8 and later pulled within one at 10-11 on a kill from Riggar. Centre was then able to close the match with four of the final five points for the 15-11 set win and match win.
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QUOTABLES
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Head coach Don Flora on the Match…
"These are the type of matches where you learn many things about your team, and one key item is this team competes for each other. This is a learning opportunity and we are not quite there, yet! We have some keen insight on where will focus as we grow together."
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"We did a lot of nice things behind our block and
Izzy Rodriguez made some quality digs in crunch time. This also showed in how managed against Centre's two outside hitters, holding them to under .100 hitting percentage for the match."
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GAME NOTES
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UP NEXT
The Pirates will be back in action Oct. 23-24 as they travel to San Antonio for three matches in the Trinity SAA pod. Â
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