Last Thursday, September 1, not only marked the first game of the season for Covenant Volleyball, but also the first game played under new head coach, Stephanie Warton.
 
After a back-and-forth few points with opponent MUW in the first set, the Scots began to go on a run after a Hannah Haerer kill sent Kyla Bailey back to serve. Two Bailey aces and a Keener kill gave Scots a comfortable lead early on. 
 
Finishing the first set off 25-14 (Scots), the Owls then fired up for a second set, battling back to bring their score within five points. However, MUW could not fight off the Scots and drop the second set 25-20. 
 
In the third set, Covenant brings the score to 3-2, placing Kelsey Carman behind the service line. Carman's strong serving aids the Scots to go on a 9-0 scoring run, giving Covenant the control for the remainder of the set. The Scots finish off the Owls in three straight sets (25-14, 25-20, 25-11).
 
Emma Kalbfleisch led the team with 13 kills, with Bailey close to follow adding 9 kills and 7 digs. Carman's 4 aces and 6 kills gave the Scots the run they needed to seal the sweep. Anna Baldwin added 10 digs to lead the team's defense. Rachel Bartlett assisted 21 kills in addition to Summer (Johnson) Northcutt's 11 assists. 
 
After the win at home, Covenant traveled to Birmingham, Alabama where they faced both (no. 8) Emory and Birmingham Southern in a challenging tri-match on Saturday, September 3^rd.
 
A hard-fought battle against Emory was lost (0-3), as the Scots were outscored by the Eagles 56.0 points earned to 32.0 points earned. (9-25, 19-25, 18-25). Rachel Bartlett tallied a double-double against the nationally-ranked foe, with 16 assists and 10 digs. Grace Logterman snagged four blocks, while Ella Bailey led the Scots' offense with five kills.
 
Emory's Amanda Meyer led the opposing side with 13 kills, and 24 digs for the Eagles came from libero Lauren Bandera.
 
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
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.