SEWANEE, Tenn. – The Sewanee volleyball team fell in four sets to LeTourneau on Friday evening at the Barnes PE Centre, dropping a 3-1 decision (25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18), in the first match of the Covenant Invitational.
Sewanee was led by
Anna Ellison, who hit .375 with nine kills and six blocks.
Suna Merkler added 10 kills and 21 digs for her second double-double of the season and
Savannah Gann added nine kills, 11 digs, and seven aces.
LeTourneau countered, led by Aubree McCann's 18 kills and 12 digs and Emma Smith added 12 kills on a .346 clip.
LeTourneau opened the match hitting .294 as McCann powered the offense with five kills. Sewanee stayed within reach, with Merkler and Gann combining for seven kills, but the Yellow Jackets closed the first set with two back-to-back kills.
In the second set, the Tigers opened with a 5-0 run, aided by three errors from the Yellow Jackets and kills from
Maria Kennedy and Merkler. However, LeTourneau answered with a 6-3 run, fueled by four kills, tying the set at 10-10. Both teams exchanged points, but LeTourneau put together a 7-0 run, aided by three Tiger errors, for a 20-13 lead, closing out the set off of three back-to-back kills.
Sewanee responded with a 25-19 win in the third set, capitalizing on LeTourneau's .108 hitting percentage. Ellison sparked the Tigers at the net with four kills and three blocks in the frame, while Gann added three aces to help secure the set.
LeTourneau closed out the match with a 25-18 decision, holding Sewanee to a -.020 hitting percentage.
The Tigers will face Transylvania and Covenant on Saturday to close out the Invite at 12:30 pm and 5:30 pm CT.
