Greensboro, NC - Greensboro College's Women's Volleyball team competed tonight in the Quarterfinals of the USA South Conference Tournament. The Pride earned the #2 seed for their outstanding regular season and would host the #7 seed Brevard College Tornadoes. The atmosphere was electric in Hanes gym with a full student section cheering the entire match. The Pride would feed off the energy in the building and dominate the tornadoes in this one.
The first set was a quick one as Greensboro came out of the gate hot. The Pride took an early 12-6 lead and did not look back. Later in the set, the Pride would go on another run, this time outscoring the Tornadoes eleven to one to take a 21-8 lead. During this run Payton Shiflet and Kelci Brooks shined for Greensboro, taking turns attacking the Tornados defense to close out the set. The defense for the Pride was fantastic as they held Brevard to only six kills. The Pride themselves tallied 14 kills in route to a 25-11 win in the first set.
In the second set the Pride would once again come out swinging by taking an early lead. Jaylen Templeton, who led all players with 30 assists, shined in the beginning of the second set. Her play sparked a 6-0 run in just the first 15 points. Brevard would be able to claw their way back into the match in the middle of the set, but the defense for the Pride clamped down and took any hope of a comeback away. Morgan Mayfield and Lauren Mantel each had key digs during this set and helped the Pride grow their lead. The Pride would win the second set 25-15 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Going into the third set the Pride knew that Brevard's season on the line, and they were going to give them everything they had. The Tornados would take an early lead to start the third set and the two sides would go back and forth midway through. Pride Head Coach Kevin Troup stated after the match that "we stayed composed and I knew we would pull away at the end." After Brevard took a 17-15 lead, the Pride flipped a switch and would score the next nine out of eleven points to take the lead 24-19. This late run by the Pride helped them secure a 25-21 win in the third set to finish off the sweep.
The Pride now advance to the Semifinals of the USA South Conference Tournament. The match will take place on Thursday, November 9th in Hanes Gym at 6:00pm. The Pride will host the Knights of Southern Virginia University with the winner punching their ticket into the USA South Volleyball Championship game.
For more on the USA South Volleyball Tournament, head to https://usasouth.net/news/2023/11/6/womens-volleyball-volleyball-tournament-underway.aspx
Alex Trepper - Athletics Commuications Intern
