BREVARD, N.C. - They stood along the wall. They sat in the aisles, on the floor, on the video platform, anywhere there was room.
And in the end, they all stood, screamed, and chanted as the Tornados came from down a set to win their second straight match in South Atlantic Conference play.
With an above-capacity crowd of 409 on hand, the Tornados dropped the first set 25-23 to Mars Hill before roaring back for three increasingly convincing victories to dispatch the Lions of Mars Hill on Homecoming weekend.
The Tornados (4-8, 3-5 SAC) had one of their best defensive performances of the season by limiting Mars Hill (4-8, 2-6 SAC) to an .068 attack percentage, the second-lowest figure for a Brevard opponent this season, with 20 errors. Brevard had nine blocks on the evening, with seven coming from Rachel Ruble, to help stymie the Lions' attack. Mars Hill hit above .093 in just one set, had three more errors in the final frame, and was limited to 13 kills over the final two sets while the Tornados compiled 28 of their own.
Savannah Cox stole the show offensively for the Tornaods, hitting .435 while tying for the team lead with 12 kills. She made just two errors on the night and counted a solo effort among her two blocks. Fatima Gharachorloo also had 12 kills, with the quartet of Ruble, Erin Barr, Kindle Kirkham, and Hannah Elmore giving Brevard six players to tally at least six kills in the balanced offensive effort.
Brevard seized momentum in the third set with the match tied at 1-1. The match had seen 20 ties and nine lead changes up to that point, with the Lions taking the first set by two before a 25-21 victory for Brevard evened the match. The Tornados stormed out to an insurmountable lead in the early going, leading 12-4 after Kirkham buried a kill. The Lions attempted a comeback, but could get no closer than four points in an eventual 25-17 win.
The script repeated moments later with the Tornados controlling the fourth set from the outset. Brevard led 8-1 in the early going after Aleksandra Vrvilo, who compiled a match-high 26 digs, twice victimized the Lions with service aces in a four-point span. Brevard never dialed down the pressure in a 25-14 win, allowing the Lions to score more than two points in a row just once in the set.
The Lions were led by Rebecca Butler, who finished with 11 kills and 13 digs, and another 10 kills from Mary Kate Griffin. The Lions managed just 4.0 team blocks against the Brevard attack and never held the Tornados below .167 in a set.
With the win, Brevard moves into a three-way tie for seventh in the conference with Lincoln Memorial and Queens at 3-5 SAC play. The Tornados have an opportunity to continue their climb up the league standings with a noon match on Saturday against Tusculum.
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