GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - Southwestern Volleyball gained two big wins on the season through the Invitational, knocking off the Aurora University Spartans and the Puget Sounds Loggers, advancing their record to 3-2.
The Pirates shocked Aurora by defeating in three sets on Friday in what was solid play by the Pirates from start to finish.
"It is impressive to see us jump out with a clean and complete start to the match tonight. These athletes dialed into the game plan in a high-quality way that allowed us to react and play a little more free from the start of the first point in the first set," remarked Coach Don Flora.
Southwestern more or less dominated the Spartans in the first set not letting them see double digits, winning 25-9. The next two sets were more heavily contested from Aurora, however, the Pirates jumped to leads early on in both sets forcing Aurora to try and fight back.
Southwestern was led in a balanced attack from Andie Valenzuela, Lily McWhorter, Kacy Miller and Carly Berkman, all racking up over six kills in the 3-0 victory.
The Pirates were faced with a big challenge on Saturday facing one of the best teams in the invite, Puget Sound. Puget Sounds came into the game sporting an undefeated 7-0 record.
Seemingly unfazed by the Loggers record, Southwestern took the first two sets from the Loggers before being met with a battle of a third set.
The third set went to a combined 54 points between the two teams and the Logger were able to edge the Pirates in a 28-26 margin.
"Tonight was an elite college volleyball match. Two teams went toe to toe and competed at a high level for an extended period of time. Southwestern Volleyball stuck together and stayed locked into the game plan under pressure and during key points late in a few sets," says Flora.
The Pirates came right back in the fourth set and took control at the halfway point, never looking back on their way to a 25-21 set win and a 3-1 finish over the Loggers.
Claire Romo and Annika Flora were dialed in on their passing tallying 23 and 27 assists respectively. Valenzuela, Miller, and Berkman converted on their passes for a combined 46 kills and strong Pirate defense saw double-digit digs from five different players.
For their effort at the Southwestern Fall Invitational, Valenzuela and Geneva Nedrow were named to the All-Tournament Team. The following players were named to the All-Tournament team from the visiting teams.
Aurora University
(Celeste Cozzoni)
Concordia University
(Camryn Parker)
Texas Lutheran
(Shavonne Respondek)
LeTourneau
(Kaci Monk)
Univ. of Puget Sound
(Avery Allemann)