BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College volleyball team (3-5, 1-1 USA South) hosted a USA South Conference Tri-Match on Saturday at the Boshamer Gymnasium to begin 2023 conference play.  The Tornados split their two matches at the event with a 3-0 win over Mary Baldwin (2-9, 0-1 USAS) coupled by a 3-0 defeat to Methodist (8-2, 3-0 USAS).    
The Tornados dominated their first match of the conference season with a sweep over Mary Baldwin.  BC took a 25-19 win in the opening set, before making significant statements with a 25-13 win in the third set and a definitive 25-14 victory in the clinching third set.
 
Senior Makenna Parkins led all players on both the offensive and defensive ends with match-highs of eight kills and eight digs.  Senior Kaitlyn Pressley registered a match-best 16 assists to go along with six kills.  Junior Logan Priddy was a factor as well in distribution with 15 assists.
 
Junior Ashley Hoxit led all players with four service aces in addition to seven kills and four digs.  Junior Kendall Rockstad delivered on six kills as well.
 
Brevard registered a whopping 12 service aces in the three sets with libero Bailey Lance matching Hoxit's ace total with four of her own.  Pressley registered two aces with Caitlyn Hagarty and Priddy each registering service winners as well.
   
Brevard hung tough against a strong Methodist team, going back-and-forth with the Monarchs in each of the first two sets.  Up 2-0 however, Methodist won the third set and clinch the match with a decisive 25-15 victory.
 
Parkins again led the Tornado attack with 11 kills to go along with 11 digs.  Pressley recorded eight kills and nine assists.  Hoxit scored with five kills, while sophomore Blair Nance registered four kills.
 
Lance led Brevard on the defensive end with 17 digs, while Priddy was the top setter in the match with 18 assists.
 
Hagarty hit on two service aces to go along with aces by Caelyn Murphy, Lance, Parkins and Priddy.  
 
After several tied scores in the first set, BC cut the deficit to 19-18 on a strong Murphy service, yet the Monarchs finished with six of the set's last eight points to take the opening stanza.  Similarly in the second set, a kill by Nance off a Pressley assist followed by a Monarch error put BC behind by just one point at 22-21.  The Monarchs would again pull away with the set's final three points to go up 2-0 en route to the sweep.
 
Next up for Brevard is a mid-week USA South Conference match up vs. Salem on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
 
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