DAYTON, Tenn. -- Covenant's matches in the past against former rival Bryan College have always been fiercely competitive and draining. Playing within the same conference for so many years made the match an even bigger event and one that would not only bring bragging rights to the winning school, but also in the conference standings. With Covenant moving up to NCAA Division III status, this long-standing rivalry could have lost some of its edge.
Try telling that to the players on both sides.
Playing their fifth consecutive road match, the Covenant Lady Scots were looking to improve on their 3-1 mark during that stretch. The Lady Lions of Bryan College had other plans, however, as Bryan came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the match 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-10, 25-21, 16-14).
Covenant attacked the ball with purpose in this one. Four players recorded double digits in kills with
Erica Adams leading the way with 19.
Jessie Jakes had an outstanding match with 12 kills and 21 digs, while
Emily Stewart added 11 kills and 15 digs.
Kristin Dahlstrand had a season high in assists with 46; added to the 45 assists in the last match against Piedmont College, she has recorded 91 assists in the last two.
After the second set, however, Bryan had all the answers. Lauren Pratt led all Bryan players in kills with 17 while two other players, Alison Young and Ashley Sours, also had double digits in kills with 14 and 10 respectively. Sarah Thacker had 28 assists for Bryan which saw its record go to 14-7 with the victory.
Covenant falls back to the .500 mark for the season at 8-8. The Lady Scots will hit the road once again this weekend when they travel to Montgomery, Alabama to play in the Faulkner University Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Covenant will play all four matches against current NAIA members Dillard University, Bethel University (TN), Brewton-Parker College, and then host Faulkner University.
Covenant will make its first appearance at Barnes Gymnasium after three weeks on the road on October 12 as they host Piedmont College at 6:00pm.
