PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern volleyball team welcomed Blue Mountain Christian, two-time defending Southern States Athletic Conference champs, to the CAC on Friday. The Firehawks swept the Toppers in straight sets.
UT Southern (5-6, 2-2) started on fire and continued to smolder throughout the match. The Firehawks began the match with a 9-3 run powered by kills from
Morgan Avrit,
Sophia Ortega,
Emma Beardsley, and
Olivia Ward. After a Topper timeout, the home team ran 16 of the final 27 first set points to stun BMC. UTS out terminated the visitors from the magnolia state 13-8 and out hit them 32.1%-10.3%. In the second set, the Toppers got off the mat and traded points with the Firehawks. With the score 24-23, the Firehawks took a two-set lead on a Blue Mountain Christian service error. Seeking the first sweep over BMC since the 2019 SSAC Championship tournament, the Firehawks started the third set just like the first. The Toppers trailed 9-12 when the home team authored a 10-7 run to cruise to a win.lost the opening 13 points as UM cruised to a first set win.
STAT LEADERS
Kills:
Sophia Ortega – 15 on 36 attacks
Olivia Ward – 10 on 22 swings
Assists:
Laura Howell – 36
Digs:
Morgan Avrit – 15
Isabella Garza – 14
Laura Howell – 10
NEXT UP
The Firehawks will travel to "the Gump", Montgomery, Ala., to battle Faulkner in an SSAC matchup on Friday, September 27
th. The first serve between the Firehawks and Eagles is scheduled for six p.m.
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