SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Savannah Gann tallied a team-high 19 kills and
Mollie White added 16 as Sewanee battled past Centre in a five-set thriller on Friday night inside Juhan Gymnasium, celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Night with a 23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 24-26, 18-16 victory.
Gann led all hitters with 19 kills on .298 hitting, while White added 16 kills and six blocks. Ellison chipped in 11 kills and a team-best seven total blocks. Meyer dished out 41 assists and added 14 digs, while Caruso tallied 10 digs and two aces. Radford served up five aces and contributed four blocks off the bench.
The win pushes the Tigers to 13-10 overall and 6-6 in Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play.
The opening frame featured five ties as both teams exchanged momentum early. The Colonels got out to an early start with a 10-7 lead. An ace from White and a kill from Gann powered a four-point Sewanee run to tie the set at 13-13. A late 6-3 run put the Tigers in contention, with kills from White, Gann, and Ellison, but a kill and block from Centre sealed the first set, 25-23.
Sewanee rebounded in convincing fashion. Behind strong serving from
Nicole Radford, with three aces in the set the Tigers jumped out to a 13-8 advantage and never trailed. Sewanee used a 7-0 run to seal the set, fueled by Radford's three aces, and kills from Radford and White, for a 22-11 lead. Sewanee closed out 25-17 on a Centre service error.
The third set saw 10 ties and five lead changes in a tense back-and-forth battle. Sewanee trailed 20-19 before rallying behind White and Ellison, who delivered back-to-back kills to even the score, and Radford capped off the four-point run with an ace. A kill from White gave the Tigers set point, and a Centre error sealed the 25-23 win. Sewanee hit .464 in the frame—its best mark of the night—to take a 2-1 lead.
Neither side gave an inch in the fourth. Gann tallied five kills and White added three as the teams traded points throughout. Centre staved off match point at 24-23 and used consecutive kills to extend the match, edging Sewanee 26-24 to force a decisive fifth set.
The final frame mirrored the intensity of the night, with six ties and two lead changes. The Tigers jumped ahead 8-5 after a kill from White and a service ace by
Sophia Caruso, but Centre fought back to tie it at 12-12. Gann delivered her 19th kill to give Sewanee match point at 15-14, and after fending off two Centre set points, the Tigers secured the victory 18-16 behind a block from Meyer and White and an ace from
Keira Baldwin to close the match.
Sewanee hit .230 for the match and finished with 15 aces and 22 total blocks.
The Tigers return to action next weekend, hosting Oglethorpe and Berry to close out conference play at home.
