SEWANEE, Tenn. – In their home opener and the first match of the Sewanee Invitational, the Sewanee Tigers swept St. Joseph's (ME) 3-0, winning 25-17, 25-17, and 25-14. The Tigers posted 33 kills, 8 aces, 4 blocks, 30 assists, and 27 digs.
In the first set, Sewanee broke open a tight 16-15 game with a six-point run, led by Maria Kennedy and Emma Meyer's attacks, closing out the set 25-17. The second set saw Sewanee jump to a 7-2 lead, racking up 14 kills to St. Joseph's four and winning 25-17. Though the Monks started the third set strong with a 4-1 lead, the Tigers responded with a five-point run and didn't look back, clinching the set 25-14, off a block from Nicole Radford followed by a kill from Anna Ellison.
Savannah Gann paced the offense with 7 kills and 2 aces, while Emma Meyer tallied 17 assists and 4 digs. Anna Ellison was stellar with 6 kills, a .455 hitting percentage, and 2 blocks. Mollie White and Suna Merkler each added 5 kills, with Merkler hitting .556. Defensively, Nicole Radford and Ellison combined for 4 blocks, and Sophia Caruso posted six digs, while Sewanee's serving and defense kept the Monks at a negative hitting percentage (-.082) throughout the match.
The Tigers' secured their first win of the season in front of their home crowd and will be back in action tomorrow morning against Spalding at 10 a.m. for the second day of the Sewanee Invitational.
