PIoneers Defeat Columbia in Straight Sets in Home Opener

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Spartanburg Methodist College volleyball team raised its record to a .500 mark with a straight-set win over Columbia (S.C.), 25-15, 25-21, 25-22 in its home opener on Wednesday night.

SMC (5-5) has bounced back after an 0-4 start to begin the season to win five of its last six matches to reach the .500 mark in its first year of NAIA play. In the win on Wednesday, the host Pioneers hit over .179 in all three sets with a match-best clip of .185 in the opening set.

The reigning Continental Athletic Conference Attacker of the Week Makinnley Smart picked up where she left off with a team-best 10 kills and a .409 hitting percentage. Aurora Aho and Kendall Meinders each added five kills in the win. As a team, SMC recorded 11 service aces with three apiece by Brantlie Price and Brook Noe in the win. The Pioneers frontline came together for seven blocks.

Columbia (SC) falls to 0-3 in the loss as the visiting Koalas were held to a .011 hitting percentage in the defeat. Setter Debra Shephard had 17 assists and libero Katie Roberts had eight digs.

SMC started the match with a .185 clip with three-different Pioneers – Aurora Aho, Brantlie Price and Makinnley Smart - recording multiple kills. Brook Noe came off the bench to serve up three aces for the Pioneers.

The second set saw Bailey Beck, Kendall Meinders and Smart each record three kills in the 25-21 win. Beck also had three blocks, and Price recorded a pair of service ace. Libero Hana Vucinic had 12 of her 16 digs in the set for the Pioneers.

In closing out the match in the third set, Smart had five of her 10 kills to go along with a pair of service aces.   

Next, SMC will take part in the CIU Invitational in Columbia, S.C. where they will face Faulkner at 5 p.m. and host CIU at 7 p.m. on Friday. The two-day tournament will see the Pioneers face UM-Dearborn and Reinhardt at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.