LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Transylvania University volleyball returned to the win column Wednesday evening, defeating Spalding University in four sets at Columbia Gym. After dropping the opening set, the Pioneers rallied to take the next three, 18-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-20, improving to 8-11 overall.
Spalding established an early advantage with a 25-18 victory in the opening set, but Transylvania responded in a competitive second frame. The two teams battled through 10 ties and four lead changes before the Pioneers secured a 25-22 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The third set proved to be the turning point of the evening. Featuring 11 ties and six lead changes, the tightly contested frame saw Transylvania deliver its most efficient offensive performance of the match. The Pioneers recorded 12 kills with just one attack error on 29 attempts, hitting .379 to edge Spalding 26-24 and take a 2-1 advantage. Transylvania carried that momentum into the fourth set, recording a match-high 14 kills while hitting .290. The Pioneers closed out the evening with a 25-20 victory to complete the four-set comeback.
Addie Atcher led the Transylvania attack with 16 kills on 41 attempts, hitting .268 while adding a solo block. Payton Avilez followed with 14 kills and just three attack errors on 29 attempts, finishing with an impressive .379 hitting percentage. Chloe Jensen delivered an efficient performance at the net, recording six kills without an attack error on nine attempts to hit a team-best .667. Peyton Mast also contributed six kills while hitting .267, while Cecelia Roberts added three kills, two service aces and four block assists.
Megan Sweeney directed the Pioneer offense with a match-high 32 assists, adding seven digs and a service ace. Addison Davis contributed four assists, while Erin Thomas added three service aces and five digs. Soleil Sabin led Transylvania defensively with 15 digs, while Reece Houston added eight. Megan Helander and Sweeney each finished with seven digs as the Pioneers totaled 55 digs on the evening.
Transylvania finished with 46 kills, 42 assists, nine service aces and a .217 hitting percentage. The Pioneers held Spalding to a .138 hitting percentage while recording 11 total blocks credited through one solo block and 10 block assists.
Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.
