BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Chelsea VanDyk had 15 kills and Ginny Moore added 14, but the Covenant volleyball team came up short as host Birmingham Southern took a 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-22, 25-10) victory on Wednesday night inside Bill Battle Coliseum.
The loss snaps a three-match win streak for Covenant as the Lady Scots go to 7-9 overall. Birmingham Southern, who is receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25, improves to 15-2 on the year.
VanDyk had another impressive outing against a quality opponent. The senior had 15 kills and a hitting percentage of .440 to go along with four digs and a pair of block assists in the defeat. It was the ninth time this season that VanDyk has had a hitting percentage of .400 or better.
Moore picked up her 12th double-double of the year with 14 kills and 18 digs. Schuyler Moore recorded 41 assists, 15 digs and four kills on the night, while Hannah Stewart, making her first start at libero, registered a season-high 19 digs. Morgan Opgenorth and Olivia Becker tallied six and five kills, respectively.
Birmingham Southern led throughout in the first set to take a 1-0 match lead. Covenant was just a few points behind for much of the game, but could not get over the hump. The Panthers took the final two points, both kills from Jeneva Salter, to secure the win.
The roles reversed in the second set as Covenant led from start to finish. The Lady Scots got out to a 6-2 lead after a kill by Ginny Moore. Birmingham Southern cut its deficit to one at 13-12, but Covenant responded with four straight points with an Opgenorth kill followed by consecutive service aces from Ginny Moore and a Panthers error. Covenant tied the match up with the set win on another Ginny Moore kill.
The final two sets belonged to the hosts. The Panthers maintained a comfortable lead in the third set and held on after Covenant rallied to trail 24-22 late. In the fourth set, Birmingham Southern used a 17-3 scoring run to end the match.
Salter led the Panthers with 17 kills. Katie McCormack led all players with 45 assists, while Lauren Bedford and Marjorie Ward combined for 43 digs.
UP NEXT
Covenant will host its second USA South quad-match of the season on Saturday inside Barnes PE Center. The Lady Scots play Averett at 10 a.m. and Ferrum at 4 p.m., or 40 minutes after the day's third match concludes. Maryville will play Ferrum at noon and then Averett at 2 p.m. for the day's other two matches.
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