MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After winning the SSAC regular-season title for the first time in program history, the Martin Methodist Volleyball team secured the teams first-ever conference tournament title with a dramatic five-set victory versus William Carey (Miss.) Saturday afternoon.

The double marks the first time since 2006 the RedHawk Volleyball program has claimed both a regular-season and conference tournament crown.

The win was especially sweet for the returning RedHawk players, who finished runner-up to Faulkner (Ala.) in last year's title match.

After a slow start in the opening set, the RedHawks eventually found their stride for a 25-18 victory. The RedHawks saw their lead stretch to as many as eight on two occasions in the frame, leading 19-11 and 22-14 before the Crusaders made a late push. That's when the RedHawks dug deep and were able to grind out the final few points and secure the win.

The second set broke in favor of the Crusaders in a back-and-forth affair, 25-22. Knotted at 19-19, the RedHawks could never get over the hump and saw the Crusaders rattle off six of the next nine points to secure the win and even the match at 1-1.

The RedHawks responded for a 25-17 victory in the third set, and appeared to be poised for a 3-1 victory to take the match. But the Crusaders proved a formidable side as they rallied for a 25-23 win in the fourth to push the match to a fifth and deciding set.

In the fifth, Martin Methodist went on a 4-0 run as part of an 8-1 start to the fifth set that saw two kills each from Chandler Salvig and Rebecka Cronin. WCU closed the gap with a 7-3 run that was aided by a trio of RedHawk errors. But from the 11-8 score, the RedHawks closed it out with a 4-1 stretch, with Salvig's kill to end the match and give the RedHawks the title.

Lauren Martin led the RedHawks with 15 kills in the five-set match. Kara Nelms and Kaitlyn Lund added 14 for the RedHawks, while Cronin and Salvig added 11 and nine each, respectively.

In her final SSAC match, Sydney Arnold paved the way for the RedHawk attack with 57 total assists. She also added 20 digs in a double-double effort for the RedHawks.

Defensively, Hayley Brisendine led the RedHawks with 33 total digs. Kara Nelms added 21 digs in the contest, along with 21 from Summer Jackson. Cronin added 19 in the all-around effort.

Martin Methodist already locked up the league's automatic berth to the national tournament with its regular-season title, but the squad left no doubt about the class of the league with Saturday's win.

"I am beyond thrilled for our ladies and our program," RedHawks head coach Alison Williams said. "We met virtually every one of our team goals this season thanks to hard work and dedication. Our ladies got better each and every single game. To come out and back up our regular-season championship with a tournament title speaks volumes to the commitment of this group."

Headed to their first national tournament since the NAIA reformatted the tournament in 2008, the RedHawks will learn their first-round opponent and location during Monday's national tournament selection show.

Martin Methodist 3, Florida College 1:
Earlier in the day, the Martin Methodist Volleyball team punched its ticket back to the SSAC title match with a 3-1 victory versus Florida College Saturday afternoon at the 2019 SSAC Volleyball Championship.

The match started slow for the RedHawks, as the visitors picked up the first set by a 25-22 margin. The RedHawks even dropped six of the first seven points in the second set before they rattled off five straight to even the set at 6-6. The RedHawks would go on to outscore the Falcons by a 19-10 margin over the next 29 points to take the frame by a 25-16 margin.

The third set was a back-and-forth affair, but eventually broke to the RedHawks in a 25-23 victory. The set featured runs by several teams as the Falcons raced out to a 9-4 margin, before the RedHawks rallied and tied the set at 15-15. Knotted at 23-23, the set was decided on two final points as Rebecka Cronin notched a kill and the Falcons recorded an attacking error on the final point to give the RedHawks a 2-1 advantage.

The final set was just as competitive as the RedHawks survived with a 25-23 win at the finish to punch their ticket back to the title match.