MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For a second straight season, the Martin Methodist Volleyball team punched its ticket to the knockout round of the conference tournament as it went unbeaten in its three pool play matches at the 2019 Southern States Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship,

The RedHawks (24-8) breezed through their first three matches of the tournament, defeating Loyola (La.), Blue Mountain (Miss.) and William Carey (Miss.) by a combined score of 9-1. The RedHawks dropped the opening set in their match versus Loyola and never looked back, winning nine consecutive sets to finish pool play unbeaten.

Rebecka Cronin led the RedHawks in kills through their first three matches, posting 39 kills at a 3.9 kills per set clip. Cronin logged 13 kills in the opening win versus Loyola, but saved her best for last in a 17-kill effort versus William Carey.

Teammate Aerial Williams was efficient in the three RedHawk wins, swinging at a .323 clip with 24 total kills. Kaitlyn Lund also notched 24 kills across the three matches, posting a .242 average.

Sydney Arnold facilitated the attack for the RedHawks, turning in 115 total assists across 10 sets for an 11.5 assist per set average. Arnold posted 42 total helpers in the win versus Loyola, 40 in the win against Blue Mountain and 33 versus William Carey.

Defensively, Hayley Brisendine led the RedHawks with a tidy 53 digs across seven sets played. Brisendine bookended the pool play with 25 digs versus Loyola and 28 against William Carey.

The win sets up a semifinal matchup versus No. 6 seed Florida College, which won a pair of matches on Friday to lock up the runner-up finish in Pool B. First serve is set for 10 a.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.

Should the RedHawks win the semifinal, they would meet either Bethel or William Carey in the championship contest, slated for 2 p.m.