- The Covenant volleyball team got back on the winning track on Friday with a pair of USA South victories over Methodist and William Peace. Covenant defeated Methodist 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-19) in the opener before besting William Peace 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-20) in the day's finale.
Covenant goes to 5-7 overall and 2-0 inside the USA South after the day's victories.
Covenant hit a season-best .337 with 44 kills in all and the Lady Scots cruised past Methodist in three sets (25-13, 25-13, 25-19) in Friday's opener.
Hannah Harris had a career-high 13 kills and compiled a hitting percentage of .417 to lead Covenant offensively.
Ginny Moore totaled 11 kills, while Schuyler Moore had 37 assists and eight digs. Morgan Opgenorth added nine kills, Jessica Seehorn six kills and nine digs, and Hannah Stewart led the defense with 11 digs in the victory. Schuyler Moore, Seehorn and Opgenorth all had two block assists apiece, while Allie Jakes recorded one solo block and one assisted to go along with her three kills.
In the first set, Covenant led throughout and gained a 16-7 lead on a Harris kill. The margin would expand to double-digits before a kill from Opgenorth gave the Lady Scots the set win. Covenant asserted complete control of the match in the second set by tallying 17 kills and a .433 hitting percentage.
The third set was tighter, but Covenant again led throughout the game spearheaded by another strong attack. The Lady Scots totaled 16 kills, and just two errors, as a team in the third set victory.
Methodist (5-8, 1-1 USA South) was limited to an .081 hitting percentage on the day. Cassidy Hayes had nine kills to lead the Monarchs, while Maggie Harris accumulated 19 assists and five digs.
Seehorn led Covenant with 14 kills and the Lady Scots held off William Peace for a four-set victory (25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-20) to conclude the day.
Five different players recorded at least seven kills for Covenant, led by Seehorn's 14-kill effort (which sets a career-high), while also tallying nine digs. Harris contributed 10 kills, while Schuyler Moore and Opgenorth each had eight and Ginny Moore seven on the evening. Schuyler Moore also had 40 assists and 11 digs to narrowly miss a triple-double. Ginny Moore led Covenant defensively with 22 digs with Stewart adding 21 and Emily Moore recording 11.
The first two sets were tightly played as Covenant took two-point wins in each, but the Lady Scots only trailed once in each frame. William Peace rallied to take a 23-22 lead in the second set, but consecutive kills from Seehorn and Harris gave the Lady Scots a one-point lead and a William Peace error gave Covenant the set and a 2-0 match lead.
After falling in the third set, Covenant regrouped and dominated in the fourth game. The Lady Scots hit at a .333 clip in the set with 19 kills and led by as many as 10 before a late William Peace run made it a close score.
Laura Bland led William Peace (10-3, 1-1 USA South) with a match-high 22 kills and Tempestt Frazier had 13. Liana Solomon had 44 assists, while Carson Williams recorded 35 digs.
Covenant will stay in Winston-Salem to face Averett (3 p.m.) and Greensboro (5 p.m.) on Saturday on the campus of Salem College.