KERRVILLE, Texas — For the first time in 481 days, Southwestern volleyball took the court against another team, splitting a pair of matches against the Schreiner Mountaineers with a 3-1 win and 3-2 loss.
Sophomores Emma White and Riley Brantley were a potent one-two punch at outside hitter and middle blocker, combining for 71 kills through nine sets played. Libero Ali Grona anchored the defense with 63 digs, and setter Katelyn Whitehead directed the attack with 102 assists.
"Today, we had an opportunity to play quality college volleyball," head coach Don Flora said. "Having this opportunity makes everyone take a moment and pause to be thankful for such a cool team, for the support from so many within the university, and from the people who surround this program with deep care."
Southwestern and Schreiner played a back and forth match with each of the first two sets going into extra points before the Pirates wore the Mountaineers down in the final two sets.
The Pirates held the Mountaineers under a .200 hitting percentage in all four sets and dipped below that mark only once, hitting .071 in the second set with 11 kills and seven attack errors to give Schreiner its lone point.
Southwestern dominated the fourth and final set, limiting Schreiner to a .023 hitting percentage and taking advantage of nine hitting errors.
White led the Pirates with 19 of the team's 60 kills, scoring them on 43 attacks with seven errors for a .279 hitting percentage. She also recorded 13 digs. Brantley also finished double-figure kills, recording 15 on an efficient .353 hitting percentage, committing just two errors in 34 attacks. She also recorded three aces. Grona had 31 digs, and Whitehead set 49 assists.
The Pirates hit .184 as a team, finishing with 60 kills on 201 attacks with 23 errors.
Schreiner was led by Kayla Lofland's 15 kills on a .231 clip. Brooke Byer also finished in double figures with 10 kills. Amanda Combs was solid in the middle with seven kills and four solo blocks for 11 points.
In a back-and-forth match in which each team alternated victories each set, Schreiner closed the fifth set on a 5-0 run to claim the victory and split the doubleheader.
Southwestern hit just .192 for the match; recording 66 kills on 213 attempts with 25 errors. Schreiner had 54 kills on a .153 clip, recording 22 errors in 209 attacks. In a close match, the Pirates committed 13 service errors.
White and Brantley each had 19 kills for the Pirates, with Brantley having the edge in efficiency with a .370 hitting percentage. Jessica Kuras contributed 14 kills on a .286 hitting percentage.
"From an emotional standpoint, this Pirate team showed the specialness of the culture within this program," Flora said. "From a technical standpoint, playing two matches helped us identify the key areas of training that we need to take to heart in our daily habits and our daily routines in the practice gym. The game of volleyball is often determined by serving and passing, and today proved that concept."
Southwestern will return to the court on Friday, March 12, to host Colorado College at 6:00 p.m., then against Saturday, March 13, at 1:00 p.m.
