RALEIGH, N.C. – The Brevard College volleyball team (3-7, 1-3 USA South) earned a thrilling first-set victory, 28-26, but ultimately fell in four sets, 3-1, to Meredith College (10-4, 4-1 USAS) on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina.
 
The Avenging Angels bounced back from the early 1-0 match deficit, winning three-consecutive sets to take the USA South Conference victory. The win gave Meredith the 5-0 all-time edge over the Tornados in the sport of volleyball.
 
Ashley Hoxit (nine kills) and Kaitlyn Pressley (nine kills) led BC's offensive efforts, with senior outside hitter Makenna Parkins tallying seven kills as well. Pressley narrowly missed out on her second triple-double of the 2023 season, as she added 11 digs and 11 assists to her nine-kill effort. Senior defensive specialist Bailey Lance led the defense with 14 digs, as Parkins added a season-high 13 digs. Lance also contributed in the service department, logging three service aces with Parkins matching that total as well. Junior setter Logan Priddy dished out a team-best 13 assists.
 
Meredith's Emma Duncan drove home a game-high 13 kills, with Hannah Jo Jablonski and Megan Murray adding 18 digs apiece.
 
A back-and-forth first set ensued between the two sides, as the hotly-contested affair totaled 12 ties and six lead changes. The Avenging Angels had Brevard on the brink of defeat, holding a 24-21 advantage on set point, but four-consecutive Tornado points gave the visitors the lead, 25-24. Both sides traded scores before a Hoxit kill on a Pressley assist gave Brevard a 28-26 set victory.
 
The visitors opened up a 10-5 edge in the second set, but the Tornados came back with six-unanswered points. Meredith answered back, making the score a 20-14 margin, but a late Tornado charge cut the deficit to four points, 23-19. However, the hosts used consecutive kills to even the match score up with a 25-19 second set win.
 
Meredith was able to control the third set from the early stages, and despite another Tornado comeback attempt late in the frame used a setting error to take a 25-23 third set decision and a 2-1 overall match lead.
 
With the fourth set within a point, 13-12, in favor of the hosts, Meredith was able to rattle off six-unanswered points to push its lead up to a 19-12 margin. BC kept within striking distance at 22-16 and 24-17, but a Duncan kill wrapped up the conference win in the Avenging Angels' favor, 3-1.
 
MILESTONE WATCH: Following Saturday's match, senior libero Bailey Lance currently sits at 996 career digs in her BC career, as the Mills River, North Carolina native looks to become the fourth member of the 1,000-dig club at Brevard of the NCAA era. Junior setter Logan Priddy (987 career assists) and senior outside hitter/setter Kaitlyn Pressley (955 career assists) are on pace to become the fifth and sixth members, respectively, of the 1,000-assist club at BC.
 
The Tornados will attempt to get back in the win column as Brevard hosts Pfeiffer University on Wednesday, September 27 at 6 p.m. at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
 
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