SEWANEE, Tenn. – The Sewanee volleyball team closed out its Saturday doubleheader with a hard-fought five-set battle against Covenant but came up just short, falling 3-2 (19-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-21, 15-12) in the nightcap at the Barnes PE Center. Earlier in the day, the Tigers dropped a 3-0 decision to Transylvania (25-20, 25-18, 25-16).
Against Covenant, Sewanee came out strong, taking the opening two sets. The Tigers hit .191 in the second frame, pulling away late for a 26-24 win and a 2-0 match lead, off of two kills from Savannah Gann. Covenant rallied, however, edging Sewanee in the third set 25-23 before evening the match with a 25-21 win in the fourth. In a decisive fifth, the Scots held off a late Tiger push to secure the 15-12 victory.
Gann powered the offense with a team-high 19 kills and added five service aces and 13 digs for 25 total points. Anna Ellison posted 13 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, while Suna Merkler recorded 11 kills and 14 digs. Setter Emma Meyer finished with 39 assists and 20 digs, and libero Sophia Caruso anchored the back row with a team-best 24 digs.
In the opener against Transylvania, Merkler led with 10 kills on a .286 clip, while Gann added five kills. Meyer dished out 22 assists, and Caruso collected 13 digs. The Pioneers were led by Isabella Myers, who tallied 19 kills without an error.
Merkler was named All-Tournament team for the weekend, finishing the weekend with 31 kills, three aces, 44 digs, and 35 total points.
Sewanee returns home to face Maryville on Tuesday night at 6 pm CT.
