MOUNT VERNON, Ga. – The University of Tennessee Southern volleyball team earned a 3-1 Southern States Athletic Conference victory at Brewton-Parker Christian on Saturday afternoon. The Firehawks won by scores of 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, and 25-20 to improve to 7-4 overall and 3-3 in league play.
UT Southern Player Highlights
Ashlee Kraft led the Firehawks with 13 kills on a .522 hitting percentage, while also serving up 5 aces and contributing a solo block. Emma Beardsley finished with 10 kills, 7 digs, and 2 aces. Olivia Ward added 7 kills on 11 attempts (.636) and Irby Norris chipped in 6 kills and a block assist. Setter Jelleny Mallozzi guided the offense with 36 assists and contributed 4 aces. Overall, UT Southern tallied 42 kills, 15 aces, and hit .358 as a team.
Set-by-Set Team Stats
| Set |
UT Southern K-E-TA (Pct) |
Brewton-Parker Christian K-E-TA (Pct) |
| 1 |
12-3-21 (.429) |
10-4-22 (.273) |
| 2 |
12-6-25 (.240) |
18-6-31 (.387) |
| 3 |
9-1-13 (.615) |
9-7-25 (.080) |
| 4 |
9-3-22 (.273) |
9-7-26 (.077) |
Match Summary
Set 1: Brewton-Parker Christian opened the match with a strong 4-0 start fueled by multiple service aces. UT Southern quickly steadied itself, answering with aces from Ashlee Kraft, Ashley Cope, and Isabella Garza to pull even at 7-7. The Firehawks found their rhythm midway through the set, with back-to-back kills from Olivia Ward and Emma Beardsley giving them a lead they would not relinquish. Beardsley and Amree Patterson finished off key points late to close out the opener 25-22.
Set 2: The second frame was tightly contested. UT Southern used kills from Kraft and Norris along with an ace from Alyssa Burns to build a 23-19 advantage. However, Brewton-Parker Christian staged a late rally, capitalizing on Firehawk attack errors and finding success offensively to erase three set points. The Barons scored the final five points of the set to steal it 26-24 and even the match at 1-1.
Set 3: UT Southern responded in dominant fashion. Mallozzi sparked a long service run that included two aces, and the Firehawks' block frustrated Brewton-Parker Christian's hitters. Kraft and Patterson powered the offense, while Ward added an ace and Beardsley contributed at the net. UTS sprinted out to a double-digit lead and never looked back, finishing the set 25-13.
Set 4: The Firehawks carried momentum into the final frame, racing out to a 4-0 lead behind Mallozzi's serving and a pair of Kraft kills. Brewton-Parker Christian fought back to tie the score at 9-9, but UT Southern answered with a decisive 7-3 stretch highlighted by Kraft's ace and a Beardsley kill. Ward came through with timely swings down the stretch, and her final kill sealed the 25-20 victory and the match.
Final Team Stats
| Team |
K |
E |
TA |
Pct |
A |
SA |
SE |
Digs |
Blocks |
Points |
| UT Southern |
42 |
13 |
81 |
.358 |
39 |
15 |
11 |
31 |
7 |
61 |
| Brewton-Parker Christian |
46 |
24 |
104 |
.212 |
40 |
10 |
17 |
25 |
2 |
58 |
Next Up
UT Southern returns home for its next SSAC match against Loyola on Friday, October 3.
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