Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania volleyball team commenced its 2020-21 season with a doubleheader sweep of the Earlham College Quakers on Wednesday evening at the Beck Center.

After a long-awaited start to the traditional fall 2020 season, the reigning fall 2019 volleyball champions of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference welcomed the Quakers to Lexington to open up both conference and season play in the late January meeting.

Fielding a new-look roster with 10 newcomers, the Pioneers displayed their wealth of talent with a 25-23, 25-22, 25-15 victory in the opening match of the night and topped off the evening with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-22 sweep in the second match.

Competing in a modified spring 2021 season, this season's matchups for the Pioneers will consist of conference-only matches versus HCAC opponents with the first match of the doubleheader serving as a conference contest, and the second match of the doubleheader counting as a nonconference match.

Transylvania improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in HCAC play while Earlham dropped to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in HCAC competition.

Third-year head coach Amy Barmore showcased her talent-laden team which erased early deficits in the first two sets of the opening match of the night and unleashed potent scoring runs.

Transylvania charged back from trailing 9-5 in the opening set with three straight points and later knotted up the score at 13-13 on a Sylvie Miller kill. Earlham and Transylvania continued to trade leads and ties throughout the set before Madison Sweeney, Suzanne Klosterman, and Grace Ward all came up with consecutive scores to craft a 24-20 lead and held off the Quakers with a set-winning kill by Ward.

In the second set, the Pioneers sliced up an early 10-4 deficit by reeling off six straight points with freshman Ava Beltsos holding serve. Madie Buys provided two kills during the key run. The lead see-sawed back and forth through the rest of the set before Earlham battled to a 22-21 lead. Transylvania seized the set with the final four points, keyed by a kill from Madi Davis and a set-ending ace by Ava Beltsos.  

Transylvania flipped the script in the final set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead and expanding its hold from there, eventually producing another five-point rally to grow a 16-6 advantage. Earlham scored three straight before the Pioneers scored another five unanswered for a commanding 21-10 upper hand. Sweeney closed out the match with a towering kill on a Ward assist for their first career collegiate victory.

Sweeney debuted with a match-high 13 kills while Miller added eight. Ward toped all players with 19 assists and three aces. Campbell compiled 15 digs while Beltsos corralled 14 digs.

Earlham refused to back down in the nightcap but the Pioneers continued to come up with clutch plays when it mattered most. In the first set, the Pioneers charged back from trailing 15-10 with a six-point run to take a 16-15 lead before Earlham secured a one-point lead at 18-17. The Pioneers responded with three straight points to grab a 20-18 cushion and staved off the Quakers for a 25-22 win.

The Pioneers used a match-best .222 team hitting percentage in the second set to cruise to a 25-19 win before the teams closed out the night with one final closely-contested set.

Leading 22-21, the Pioneers took advantage of a service error by the Quakers and a successive ace from Davis to set up match point. Earlham held off the rally for one more point before Karrington Jackson brought the night to a close with the match-sealing kill.

Sweeney led the team in kills once more with 11 while Sam Walton added nine. Jackson compiled four blocks while Ward led the Pioneers in assists and digs with 26 and 17 respectively.  

Transylvania continues 2020-21 conference play on Saturday, January 30 at the Beck Center as the Pioneers host Bluffton University at 2:00 p.m. for a doubleheader.

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