HAWKINS, Texas – The Ladies Volleyball team finished .500 for the regular season for the first time in seven seasons as Centenary (17-17) completed the season sweep of Jarvis Christian (11-19) with a 25-20, 25-15, 19-25, 25-21 win Tuesday night, October 30.
After Jarvis Christian won set three, Centenary trailed 4-3 in the fourth. A kill from senior Shannon Orlopp tied the frame, two freshman Alyssa Davis kills and two ball handling errors on the Bulldogs' setter opened up an 8-4 advantage.
Davis led Centenary by hitting .562 for the match, notching 20 kills and two errors on 32 swings.
Jarvis Christian pulled within 21-19, but kills from freshman Elizabeth Epley, Davis, and senior Michaela Brantley gave the Ladies set point. The Bulldogs scored a pair, but a Davis kill ended the match.
Brantley hit .448 for the match with 15 kills and two errors on 29 attempts. Freshman Rachel Demerjian added a double-double for the 18th time this season with 48 assists and 13 digs – recording 16 assists and seven digs in the first set alone. She also added three kills in five attempts.
Tied at 11 in the opening set, a kill from Epley put the Ladies on serve. A kill from freshman Ami Powers, another Epley kill, and an ace from senior Shyann Pisano put Centenary up four. Centenary won by five.
In the second, Centenary led 9-8 before an 8-1 run opened up the set. Two Jarvis Christian errors and a kill by senior Makenzie Shaw pushed the lead to four. An ace from Demerjian ace upped the lead to 13-8. Both teams sided out before two aces by senior Hailey Lawson around a kill from Shaw built the lead to 17-9. Centenary won the set by 10.
In the third set tied at 11, Jarvis Christian scored four straight to build a four-point lead. A kill from Tanikia Lacy gave the Bulldogs the lead, and two hitting errors by Centenary pushed the lead to three. A block by Lacy and Chantel McCleveland gave Jarvis Christian a 15-11 lead.
The Bulldogs used a 14-3 advantage on the block against the Ladies.
Centenary pulled within 21-19 in the third, but the Bulldogs scored four straight to end the set. Two errors by Centenary and a Madyson Ashby ace put Jarvis Christian on set point. A kill from McCleveland gave the Bulldogs their only set win.
Lacy led Jarvis Christian with 12 kills. Heidi George and McCleveland added seven blocks apiece.
Centenary returns to action Friday, November 2, in the first match of the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The fourth-seeded Ladies take on fifth seed and host Dallas at 3:30 p.m.