BUENA VISTA, Va. -- The No. 2 West seeded Covenant volleyball team saw its season come to a close with a 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21) loss to No. 1 East seed Southern Virginia in the USA South Tournament semifinals on Friday night inside Knights Arena.

Covenant closes out the season with a 21-9 record, the fourth 20-win season during head coach Joanna Ehman's tenure.

Emma Kalbfleisch had 11 kills, while hitting .308, with four blocks and Riley Howe tallied 10 kills and eight digs in the defeat. Grace Logterman registered 10 total blocks (one solo, nine assisted) to go along with three kills. Rachel Bartlett had 21 assists and six digs, while Anna Baldwin had 13 digs.

Covenant could not overcome the Southern Virginia attack. The host Knights had double-digit kills in each set and were led by USA South Player of the Year Courtney Pinkston's 22 kills, 15 digs, and four blocks. Sydney Hopkin, the USA South Rookie of the Year, added 16 kills.

The Scots never led in the opening set, but climbed back into the frame after trailing by as many as six (18-12). A Howe kill followed by a Reagan Keener ace got Covenant within 19-17. The Scots stayed alive by fighting off two set points to tie the score at 24 after back-to-back kills from Kyla Bailey and Kalbfleisch. The Knights took the final two points, however, as Pinkston earned the set-winner on her kill.

Covenant also trailed in the second set before rattling off five straight points, capped by a Keener kill, to tie it up at 14-14. SVU had the answer, though, as the Knights finished the frame on a 9-3 run to take a 2-0 match lead.

The Scots took the third set, 25-22, to stay in the match. Covenant hit .464 in the set with 14 kills and a Howe kill gave the Scots the win.

Covenant could not climb out of another deficit in the fourth as SVU hung on for the win and the match. 

Bailey added five kills and two blocks for the Scots. Summer Johnson had 11 digs, while she and Savannah Savage had three aces each. Meriel Chupp registered six total blocks (one solo and five assisted).

Southern Virginia (27-4) will face No. 2 East seed Meredith in the USA South Tournament championship on Saturday.

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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.