The Concord Volleyball team’s first match against Southern Virginia University this season wound up going five sets.
For a while on Tuesday, it appeared the rematch might also go the distance.
Until SVU got their big hitter going.
Southern Virginia got a match-high 22 kills from Aubrey Musina on their way to a three-sets-to-one victory over the Lady Lions Tuesday night at the Carter Center -- 14-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-11.
SVU defeated Concord in a thrilling five-set match in Buena Vista, VA on September 8.
Concord rallied to take early command of the first set. A crushing right-side kill from sophomore S Helen Thiesen (Manassas, VA/Osbourn Park HS) staked the Lady Lions to a 12-6 lead; later, a kill from junior OH Amber Miller (Nebo, WV/Elk Valley Christian) put Concord up 22-11 and erased any doubt.
The second set was much more dramatic.
A kill by junior M Kayla Martin (Rural Retreat, VA/Rural Retreat HS) -- off a bad SVU set that wound up at the net -- tied the score 7-7. Concord would lead 20-18 after a kill by Miller, but the Lady Knights rallied behind Musina, who ended the set with seven kills, and scored seven of the last nine points to take the set and square the match.
Southern Virginia rode Musina to an 18-13 lead in the third set, but Concord rallied to a 19-19 tie after she stepped to the bench. A Miller kill would put Concord ahead 24-23, but the Lady Lions misfired on set point. The door left open, SVU scored four of the last five points to go up two sets to one.
The Lady Knights kept the momentum in the fourth set. SVU stormed out to an 11-5 lead and pulled away from there – getting eight more kills from Musina – to close out the match.
Miller topped the Concord charts with 12 kills while hitting an impressive .632. Martin added 10 kills.
Freshman RS Meredith Shifley (Galion, OH/Galion HS) distributed 17 assists, with Thiesen adding 13.
Senior L Kelly Newberry (Peterstown, WV/James Monroe HS) recorded 19 digs, while junior MH Emily Wilson (Hurricane, WV/Hurricane HS) chipped in 13.
Concord returns to the court next Friday and Saturday at the King College Tournament in Bristol, TN.