MOUNT BERRY, Ga. -- No. 5-seed Southern Wesleyan was the lone upset as three of the top-four seeds won in straight-sets on the opening day of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament. The tournament is hosted by Berry College and is the first Championship Tournament to be held in the brand-new, state-of-the-art Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center.
The Lady Warriors of Southern Wesleyan won 15-7 in the fifth set to complete a 3-2 win (25-21, 25-19, 22-25, 18-25, 15-17). After Reinhardt had seized momentum by taking the final two sets to force a fifth-set, the score remained close at 4-3 in favor of SWU in the fifth set. However, Keni Abercrombie stepped to the line for a five-point scoring run that put the Lady Warriors ahead 8-3. Katelyn Barnes then went on a six point run to put SWU on the verge of the win with a 14-5 lead.
Abercrombie led the potent SWU defense with 34 digs, as the Lady Warriors piled up 98 digs for the match. Jessica Angeli also had 23 digs and 14 kills in the match. Reinhardt's Sami Lane, the current SSAC Volleyball Player of the Week, led all players with 22 kills in the match. Kimberley West also had 16 kills for the Lady Eagles, while Barnes finished with 16 kills to lead the Lady Warriors.
In the other 1 p.m. match, the third-seeded Shorter Lady Hawks cruised past No. 6-seed Faulkner 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20). The Hawks Kasi Runion led the team with 11 kills and four total blocks, which inlcuded one solo block. Ashley Walton also had double-digit kills with 10 to her credit for the Lady Hawks. Kristy Walker orchestrated the SC attack, recording 34 assists. Kimber Holt had eight kills and Jessika Robinson concluded the match with seven kills to lead the Lady Eagles.
No. 8-seed Brewton Parker showed the depth of the conference by giving No. 1-seed Berry a challenge in its tournament opening match, but the host Lady Vikings prevailed 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-21). Grace Brannon led the Lady Vikings with 11 kills, while Taylor Minor also played well and had 10 kills of her own. The Berry block was led by Erin Godwin and Meghan Francis who each finished with four total blocks. Anamarys Rivera had an impressive 18 digs for the BPC defense, which limited Berry to just a .185 hitting percentage for the match.
In the final game to finish on the afternoon, No. 2 Lee looked dominant as it downed seventh-seed Columbia 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-19). Tina Questel had 12 kills and a .292 hitting percentage to lead the Lady Flames. Jackeline Toruno, Vedrana Krsmanovic and Milica Krsmanovic all had three blocks for Lee, which finished with eight total blocks. Jennifer Monroe led Columbia with seven kills as the Lady Flames held the Fighting Koalas to just a .021 hitting percentage for the match.
The tournament picks up again tomorrow as things start off with a bang when No. 2 Lee face No. 3 Shorter at 10 a.m. The next match pits No. 8 Brewton Parker in an elimination match against No. 4 Reinhardt. No. 6 Faulkner takes on No. 7 Columbia at 2 p.m.
Berry will face Southern Wesleyan at 4 p.m., the Lady Warriors are the only SSAC team to beat the Lady Vikings this year. Two other matches will take place at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. based on the results of the other matches.
No. 1 Berry vs No. 8 Brewton Parker Complete Box Score
No. 2 Lee vs No. 7 Columbia Complete Box Score
