Semifinals are set in the SoCon Volleyball Championship

No. 5 The Citadel 3, No. 4 Samford 2

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the matchup of the Bulldogs, fifth-seeded The Citadel outlasted No. 4 Samford, 3-2, in Friday’s first match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship. The Citadel advances to face the winner of No. 1 Mercer and No. 9 UNCG in the semifinals, slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

The Citadel scored the first points of the contest before Samford got on the board. The Citadel would keep up the pressure and after a kill and a block from Ali Ruffin made the score 11-5 in favor of The Citadel, Samford used its first timeout.

The lead for The Citadel would grow to as many as nine after a bad set from Samford made the score 18-9. Samford responded with a run of its own and following a kill by first-team all-conference member Gracie Lynn Butler made the score 19-15, The Citadel took a timeout.

The Citadel scored three straight out of the break to regain control of the frame. Sophia Childs would eventually get an ace to end the set at 25-16, giving The Citadel a 1-0 lead in the match.

In the second set, The Citadel continued its steady play. After a service error from Samford made the score 13-10, Childs got a kill before combining with Sophia Gomez for a block to give The Citadel a five-point lead before the media timeout.

Samford went on a run after the break to get back in the frame. A 4-0 run by Samford, which was punctuated by an ace from Ally Cordes, tied the set at 17-17, forcing a timeout from The Citadel.

After the two squads split the next four points, Samford built its lead to 23-21, making The Citadel take a timeout. Following the timeout, Samford got the next point to get to set point. The Citadel would get the next three points to tie the score at 24-24. Ruffin would get a kill three points later to put The Citadel up 26-25, forcing a timeout from Samford.

The next point produced a long volley, which was eventually ended by a kill from Mackenzie Martin, giving The Citadel a 27-25 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Samford had a better start to the third set. After the two teams split the opening ten points, Samford built a 10-6 advantage after three consecutive kills from Kaleigh Meritt. Another two kills from Samford forced a timeout from The Citadel.

The lead would continue to grow for Samford as they moved ahead by nine on two separate occasions before getting to 20 points in the frame. The second occasion happened after a block from Butler and Kate Wonus made the score 18-9, leading to a timeout from The Citadel.

A kill from Wonus out of the break put Samford up by 10. The Citadel would then get four straight points as a kill from Gomez made the count 19-13, forcing a Samford timeout. Samford would reestablish control of the set after the timeout, eventually winning the frame 25-17 following a kill from Meritt.

Samford caried its momentum into the fourth set, quickly moving ahead 4-0 in the frame. The Citadel would slowly get back into the set, closing the gap to 9-8 after a kill from Ruffin. Samford would answer with a 4-0 run, forcing a timeout from The Citadel.

The lead would eventually get to 20-13 for Samford. The Citadel got the next three points, but Samford responded to get its lead back to 23-17. The Citadel cut that lead in have courtesy of a kill, a block and an ace, leading to Samford taking a timeout.

After the break, Samford got a kill from Meritt on two of the next three points, ending the frame at 25-21 and forcing a deciding fifth set.

The Citadel would score four of the first five points to take a 4-1 lead, prompting a timeout from Samford. Following the break, Samford closed the gap to one before a kill by Martin made the score 8-6 and the teams switch sides of the net. Samford went on a 4-1 run after the switch, moving ahead 10-9 after a kill from Butler.

Samford would eventually go ahead 13-10 before two straight points from The Citadel closed the gap to one. The two teams alternated the next two points, leading to a Samford timeout with them clinging to a 14-13 advantage.

After the timeout, the two teams went back and forth for the next 14 points, with neither team leading by more than two points before the end of the set. Back-to-back kills from Ruffin and Childs would end the frame 22-20, giving The Citadel the victory.

The match had 19 ties and six lead changes. Nine of those ties and three of the lead changes occurred in the deciding set.

Ruffin finished with a team-high 18 kills and 30 digs. Jaelynn Elgert recorded a match-high 46 digs, while Martin logged a double-double, finishing with 11 kills and 25 digs. Meritt had a match-high 27 kills along with a career-high 35 digs. Lexi Thatcher finished with a match-high 59 assists for Samford.

No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 9 UNCG 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Top seed Mercer defeated No. 9 UNCG in straight sets in Friday’s second quarterfinal match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship. Mercer will now face fifth-seeded The Citadel in the semifinal round scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Mercer’s victory marked the first time the Bears have won a conference tournament match since the 2020-21 SoCon tournament. The Bears advanced to the finals during that season.

The two squads split the opening 20 points of the match. Mercer then went on a 4-0 run to go ahead 14-10 following a kill from all-freshman team selection Sophia Henry. UNCG answered back to gain the lead 17-15, forcing the Bears to take a timeout.

Mercer then went on a run themselves, regaining the lead and prompting an UNCG timeout as the score stood 22-20. After the break, the Bears scored two more points to get to set point, but the Spartans responded with a 3-0 run, leading to a Mercer timeout. Following the timeout, Henry got a kill to end the set 25-23.

UNCG got off to a strong start in the second set, leading 10-6 after an ace by Izora Gragg. Mercer secured the next four points, tying the frame at 10-10.

The next 12 points were played evenly before a 3-0 run by Mercer made the score 19-16, leading to a timeout from the Spartans. Mercer was able to keep UNCG at bay for the remainder of the set, winning 25-21 on a kill by Henry.

In the third set, UNCG got out to a 6-4 lead, but Mercer answered with five straight points, punctuated by a kill from the SoCon Player of the Year Skye Ekes. The Spartans got to within one at 10-9, however, the Bears ran off a 4-0 run after that, forcing another timeout by UNCG.

The Mercer lead never dropped below four during the remainder of the set. All-freshman team selection Lou Johnson would eventually end the frame 25-16 with her second block of the contest, giving the Bears the win.

Ekes recorded a match-high 21 kills, while hitting .528. SoCon Setter of the Year Brooke Phillips logged a double-double, finishing with 41 assists and 11 digs for Mercer. MeMe Davis had 33 digs to lead the Bears’ defensive effort. Madeline Timmerman had 11 kills to lead UNCG.

No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 7 Chattanooga 0

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 2 Wofford began its SoCon Tournament title defense by sweeping No. 7 Chattanooga in the third quarterfinal match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Friday. Wofford will take on the winner of No. 3 ETSU and No. 6 Furman in the second semifinal on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

The match began as a back-and-forth affair as the teams split the opening 18 points. Wofford then scored three straight points, all coming off kills by first-team all-conference selection Sarah MacLean.

Wofford kept the pressure on after the break, moving its lead to 20-13 late in the opening set. Chattanooga closed the lead to three points on three different occasions before a kill by Bradley Brown ended the first frame 25-21 in favor of the Terriers.

In the second set, Wofford grabbed an early lead in the set, carrying that to a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout following a kill by MacLean. The Terriers continued to extend their lead after the break, eventually going up 22-14 on a block by Mary Emily Morgan, prompting a timeout by the Mocs.

The Terriers scored the first two points out of the timeout, making the score 24-14. After two points from Chattanooga, Bri Mahoney got a kill to end the frame and give Wofford a 2-0 lead in the contest.

The third set saw Chattanooga gain control early in the frame. After the two teams were tied at 7-7, the Mocs scored five of the next six points. The run was fueled by three kills and a block from first-team all-conference selection Chard’e Vanzandt.

Following the spurt from the Mocs, Wofford retook the lead thanks to a 5-0 run, which was punctuated by a kill from Brown that made the score 15-13 in favor of the Terriers, leading to a Chattanooga timeout. Wofford maintained its lead, eventually going up 20-16.

Chattanooga would close the gap to two at 23-21. Wofford responded with the final two points of the match on kills from Morgan and Maddy Frazier.

Morgan recorded a match-high 17 kills. Taylor Pecht had a double-double for Wofford, logging a match-high 30 assists and 13 digs. Vanzandt recorded a team-high 16 kills for the Mocs.

No. 3 ETSU 3, No. 6 Furman 2

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 3 ETSU won a five-set thriller over No. 6 Furman in the final quarterfinal match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Friday. The Bucs will face No. 2 Wofford in the second semifinal on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

In the first set, ETSU grabbed control early as the Buccaneers held a 15-9 lead at the media timeout. ETSU’s lead would eventually get to 19-12 after a pair of Furman errors, leading to a timeout by the Paladins.

The Bucs kept the pressure on and after an ace by all-freshman team selection Makayla Bays made the score 22-14, Furman took another timeout. Following the break, ETSU got the final three points of the frame, punctuated by a kill from Reese Rhodes, a second-team all-conference selection.

ETSU led the second set from start to finish. The Bucs got out to a 9-5 lead, prompting a timeout by Furman. The lead for ETSU lengthen after the timeout as the score stood 19-11 following a kill from Amanda Lowe.

Furman would not go away quietly in the second set as the Paladins closed the ETSU lead to 21-15, leading to a timeout by the Buccaneers. The Paladins got to within three after a kill by Ashley Stein made the score 24-21. However, a kill by Bays on the next point ended the frame 25-21, giving ETSU a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was a different story for the Paladins. Furman got out to a 10-4 lead after an ace by Tennyson Gorman, leading to ETSU taking a timeout.

The Buccaneers would climb their way back into the set as the Furman lead stood at 12-11 following a kill by Whitley Rammel. The Paladins would fight off the rally and maintain their lead late into the set, leading 18-15 after a kill by Chandler Parker.

ETSU would eventually take a timeout after back-to-back kills from Stein and Ava Augustson put the Paladins ahead 23-20. After a point by the Bucs, Furman got a kill from Augustson and a block from Izzy Castelloe, ending the set at 25-21.

The two teams split the first 26 points of the fourth set. Furman then scored the next two courtesy of a kill by Parker and an error by ETSU, making the score 15-13. The Paladins kept their advantage over the next 12 points, doubling their lead to 22-18 after an attack error from the Bucs.

Furman did not let its lead get lower than three after that. A kill from Gorman eventually ended the set at 25-21, forcing a fifth set.

ETSU began the deciding set fast, gaining a 5-2 advantage in the early moments of the frame. The Bucs would then score the next three points after a Furman timeout to go ahead 8-2 as the two teams switched sides of the net.

Following a kill by Lowe, Furman went on a 4-0 run with Brooke Scheffler on the service line, which led to an ETSU timeout. The Bucs responded after the break and after a block from Lowe and Abby Thomas, a second-team all-conference selection, made the score 12-7 in favor of ETSU, the Paladins took a timeout.

Four straight points from Furman got the lead down to one point at 12-11. ETSU would score the next two points to get to match point before kills from Augustson and Parker closed the lead to 14-13, forcing a timeout from the Bucs. On the first point after the timeout, Thomas got a kill to end the set and the match for ETSU.

Lowe finished with a match-high 15 kills. Rhodes had a double-double, logging a match-high 46 assists and 22 digs. Gorman recorded a team-high 13 kills and a career-high eight blocks.

2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Spartanburg, South Carolina (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium)

Thursday, Nov. 21
First Round
Match 1: No. 9 UNCG 3, No. 8 Western Carolina 0

Friday, Nov. 22
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 5 The Citadel 3, No. 4 Samford 2
Match 3: No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 9 UNCG 0
Match 4: No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 7 Chattanooga 0
Match 5: No. 3 ETSU 3, No. 6 Furman 2

Saturday, Nov. 23
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 5 The Citadel vs. No. 1 Mercer, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Match 7: No. 2 Wofford vs. No. 3 ETSU, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sunday, Nov. 24
Championship
Match 8: Match 6 winner vs. Match 7 winner, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)