LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- Covenant volleyball welcomed the homecoming crowd with a pair of sweeps over Agnes Scott and Regent on Saturday afternoon at Barnes PE Center.
The wins were the 12th and 13th consecutive ones for the Scots (13-1, 5-0 CCS), who hit .301 and .326, respectively, between the two matches.
MATCH ONE: Covenant 3, Agnes Scott 0
Covenant volleyball withstood a scrappy Scotties squad to sweep Agnes Scott (2-4, 0-3 CCS), 3-0, in match one.
Avery Maiden paced the team in kills (13), while Sarah Jennings picked up five aces and Cali Sandhoff posted 18 assists. Henley Gentry had 11 digs and Gabby Sumrall three blocks on the defensive end.
In the first set, a 9-2 run midway through to go up 17-8 set the tone for the Scots, who got a trio of kills from Aubrianna Gerdes in that stretch. They held on from there, forcing an attack error to win the set, 25-16.
The Scotties applied some pressure in the second set, as they went up 6-4 early. However, a 13-3 run late propelled Covenant to the set two win, 25-15, as Hailey Landrum had a pair of aces in that period.
As in set two, Agnes Scott did not go down without a fight, going up 8-6 at one point. Covenant clawed their way back once again, though, as a Kayley Shanfelt kill gave them a lead they would not relinquish, and then a pair of Jennings aces extended the advantage to an insurmountable distance, as the Scots closed it, 25-21.
Madison Stidum paced the Scotties with eight kills, while adding four blocks.
MATCH TWO: Covenant 3, Regent 0
In the first ever meeting between the two programs, it was the Scots who emerged victorious, taking down the Royals in a sweep.
Covenant held Regent to a -.144 hitting percentage across the three sets as they combined for 10 blocks, with four of them coming from Kennedy Barber. Gabby Sumrall paced the offense with nine kills and a .571 hitting percentage, while Cali Sandhoff added 18 aces and 10 digs. Henley Gentry posted 13 digs as well.
The Scots established their dominance early in the first set, scoring nine unanswered as part of a 12-2 set opening rally. Sumrall, Avery Maiden, Sandhoff, and Scarlett Martz all contributed in that stretch. Cruising from there, a Sandhoff kill and subsequent Royals attack error gave Covenant set one, 25-16.
The story was similar in set two, as a 10-0 run opened things, thanks in part to two Gentry aces. A final 7-1 run, capped off by another Gentry ace, shut the door on the set, 25-8.
Regent (7-6) made things interesting in set three, leading 11-10 midway through. However, the Scots found their groove once again, going on a 14-3 run from that point on to put the set out of reach. Delaney Stirm finalized matters with a pair of kills to win the set and match, 25-17.
Claire Keefer led the Royals with nine kills, while Mykenah Antenore added 10 digs.
UP NEXT
A big home test awaits on Tuesday as the Scots face No. 9 Berry at Barnes PE Center.
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.