Skip To Main Content

The University of the South

The Official Home of the
Sewanee Tigers
vb vs lynchburg
Sewanee Athletic Communications
3
Winner Lynchburg Lyn 3-0,0-0 ODAC
0
Sewanee Sewan 1-1,0-0 SAA
Winner
Lynchburg Lyn
3-0,0-0 ODAC
3
Final
0
Sewanee Sewan
1-1,0-0 SAA
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Lynchburg Lyn 25 25 26 (3)
Sewanee Sewan 23 18 24 (0)

Next Match:

North Park University

9/5/2026 | 10 AM CT

Next Match

Full Schedule
Sep. 05 (Sat) / 10 AM CT
 North Park University
History

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Volleyball falls in home opener to (RV) Lynchburg

SEWANEE, Tenn. – In the fourth game of the Sewanee Invitational, the Tigers hosted their home opener against a program that had received votes in the AVCA preseason poll.

Sewanee kept the match close, but the Lynchburg Hornets earned the sweep (25-23, 25-18, 26-24).

Sewanee junior Suna Merkler gave the Hornets' defense fits all night, hitting .292 with 11 kills and only four errors. Senior libero Sophia Caruso had 14 digs, and freshman Estela Gonzales paced the Tigers with 15 assists.

With the loss, the Tigers drop to 1-1 on the season.

An early run for Lynchburg gave the Hornets a 5-2 lead in the first set, and they later extended the lead to 9-5. Four consecutive kills from Sewanee senior Savannah Gann tied the set at nine. The Hornets later used a 6-0 run to take an 18-13 lead, but Sewanee scored four of the next five points to narrow the deficit to two. That run included a block by Gann and senior Anna Ellison.

Down 23-20, Sewanee used a 3-0 run thanks to a service error and an attack error from Lynchburg, followed by a kill from Ellison. But the Hornets used two kills to take the first set, the last one from their All-Region hitter Kate Hardie.

In the later stages of the second set, another Gann kill gave Sewanee a 17-15 lead, potentially putting the Tigers in the drivers' seat to even the match. But Lynchburg ended the game on a 10-1 run to win the second set, 25-18.

Sewanee kept the third set quite close as well. Down 20-16, the Tigers rattled off a 3-0 run aided by kills from senior Maria Kennedy and Gann. Kennedy would later on tie the game at 21 off a kill.

With Sewanee facing match point down 24-23, Merkler scored on an attack to put both teams in a win-by-two situation. But a kill and a service ace, both by the Hornets' Tori Williamson, ended the match.

Sewanee continues its homestand with two more matches at the Sewanee Invitational on Saturday. The Tigers face North Park at 10 a.m. CT, and they'll face Transylvania in the third and final game of the invite.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Sophia Caruso

#1 Sophia Caruso

L/DS
5' 1"
Junior
Anna Ellison

#8 Anna Ellison

MB
6' 1"
Junior
Savannah Gann

#18 Savannah Gann

OH
5' 11"
Junior
Maria Kennedy

#5 Maria Kennedy

OH
5' 10"
Junior
Suna Merkler

#14 Suna Merkler

OH
5' 11"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Sophia Caruso

#1 Sophia Caruso

5' 1"
Junior
L/DS
Anna Ellison

#8 Anna Ellison

6' 1"
Junior
MB
Savannah Gann

#18 Savannah Gann

5' 11"
Junior
OH
Maria Kennedy

#5 Maria Kennedy

5' 10"
Junior
OH
Suna Merkler

#14 Suna Merkler

5' 11"
Sophomore
OH