SMC Volleyball Splits Two Matches at CAC

The Spartanburg Methodist College volleyball team split its two matches against Haskell and Florida National on the final day of the CAC Volleyball Classic on Saturday.

The Pioneers (12-13) avenged a four-set loss to Haskell on Friday with a straight-set sweep – 25-20, 25-19, 25-18 - of the Fighting Indians on the day. 

The Pioneers posted a .250 hitting percentage in the win with Aurora Aho pacing the attack with a team-best 10 kills. MaKinnley Smart and Kendall Meinders had eight and seven kills, respectively. Smart had a .536 hitting percentage and Meinders was just as impressive with a .417 clip. Brantlie Price had a solid all-around match with seven kills, two aces and 11 digs in the win. Setters Brook Noe and Tristan Craine had 20 and 14 assists, respectively. Aho added 12 digs for her team best fifth double double on the season.

SMC started the match with a 9-3 run as four-different Pioneers record a kill in the opening set. The closest that the Fighting Indians would get is two on a pair of occasions. SMC took the set by a 25-20 margin. The second saw the Pioneers erase an early 6-4 deficit with eight-straight points on its way to a 25-19 victory. Five unanswered points early into set three put 

SMC ahead for the remainder of the set to secure the win with a 25-18 set victory. 

The Pioneers fell by a 25-19, 25-15, 25-22 margin to Florida National to end the weekend. Despite the loss, Makinnley Smart had 12 kills and Brantlie Price had eight kills and 10 digs.

In the opening set, SMC scored the first five points. The Conquistadors came back and managed to tie the set at nine as they took the lead on a block and a Pioneer hitting error for the remainder of the set. The second set was nearly the opposite of the first set as it was Florida National, who scored the first four points. The Conquistadors spoiled the comeback hopes of the Pioneers, who managed to get within two, 7-5. The third set was controlled by Florida National, who nearly lead from start to finish. A 4-1 run which saw a pair of aces by Aho put the Pioneers ahead 18-17 midway through the set. The Conquistadors came back with three-straight points to regain the lead on its way to a 25-22 win.

Next, SMC will return to the friendly confines of Bridges Arena where they are 5-2 on the season with a pair of matchups against Clinton (MS) on Wednesday at 4 and 6 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as part of the "DIG PINK" campaign for breast cancer awareness.