ROCK HILL, SC – UVA Wise won the first set and kept it close the rest of the way, but in the end #25 Anderson pulled out the 3-1 win over the Highland Cavaliers in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship.
Abigail Curtis and
Mable James both earned spots on the All-Tournamnt Team.
The loss ends the season for UVA Wise as they are the Tournament Runners-up. They still have an outside mathematical chance of making the NCAA Tournament, but not winning the match and earning the conference's automatic bid means they have to have a lot of help to get in.
The end of the season means the end of the careers of
Serina Petersen,
Abigail Curtis,
Riley Brandon, Madlyn Pardue, and Braelyn Williams. These four leave a large shadow over the program that they have helped build up over their careers.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 1, #25 Anderson 3
Records: UVA Wise (16-14); Anderson (30-3)
Location: Rock Hill, SC | Rock Hill Sports & Event Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Highland Cavaliers took control of the opening set with
Skye Williams serving four straight points from a 1-1 tie, including three aces, and carried that early cushion into a 25-18 win.
Mia Poag helped the Cavs settle in with kills for the 1-1, 6-2, 13-8 and 15-9 points, while
Mable James added kills and joined the block as the Highland Cavaliers kept the Trojans from sustaining a long answer.
Serina Petersen and
Maggy Sechrist added key swings in the middle of the set, and Sechrist paired with James on a block that pushed the Cavs ahead 19-13. The Trojans got within 22-18 late, but a service error gave the Cavaliers the ball back,
Olivia Amos followed with an ace, and
Riley Brandon finished the set with a kill from
Abigail Curtis.
UVA Wise erased a 16-12 deficit in the second set by winning seven of eight rallies, with Sechrist serving four straight points as blocks by
Mia Poag and
Mable James helped the Cavs move in front 19-17. Earlier, the Highland Cavaliers stayed within reach behind repeated swings from
Mia Poag,
Riley Brandon and Sechrist after the Trojans opened advantages of 6-3 and 16-12. After AU tied the set at 19-19, Poag answered with another kill and
Serina Petersen followed with a block to put the Cavaliers back up 21-19. Poag added a kill to tie the set at 22-22, but the Trojans scored the final three points to take the set 25-22.
The Highland Cavaliers' biggest push in the third set came late, when they trailed 22-18 and won four straight points behind a
Mable James block, a
Mia Bradley service ace and two more James blocks to pull even at 22-22. Earlier, the Cavs opened 3-0 as Sechrist put away Amos' set and Amos and James, then
Mia Poag and James, combined on blocks. After Anderson moved ahead 6-5 in the early exchange,
Riley Brandon answered with three consecutive kills to put the visitors back in front 8-6. The middle of the set stayed tight, with James, Sechrist, Amos and
Serina Petersen adding kills as the Highland Cavaliers worked back to 13-13 and later cut an 18-14 gap to 18-16. Sechrist's kill tied the set again at 23-23 after the Trojans broke the 22-all tie, but the Trojans scored the final two points to take the set 25-23.
The Cavaliers' main push in the fourth set came after falling behind 12-7, as an Anderson service error, an attack error and a
Riley Brandon kill from Amos cut the deficit to 12-10. Earlier,
Mia Poag opened the set with a kill from
Serina Petersen, but the Trojans answered with five straight points before
Skye Williams and
Mable James helped the Cavs work back into the set. Brandon and James continued to supply kills through the middle stages, and
Serina Petersen added a block as the Highland Cavaliers stayed within range at 15-19. AU then scored four straight points, including two service aces, to stretch the margin to 23-15, and although Poag and Brandon added late kills, the Cavaliers dropped the set 25-18.
GETTING WISE
- UVA Wise finished the match with 53 kills and 14 blocks while hitting .191.
-
Mable James finished with 10 kills, 10 total blocks and a team-high 17.5 points.
-
Mia Poag led the Highland Cavaliers with 14 kills and added seven digs.
-
Olivia Amos recorded yet another triple-double with 39 assists, 11 digs, three block assists and one service ace.
-
Abigail Curtis collected 35 digs and added seven assists in her final match. She ends her career having left her mark on the record books as she ranks second in program history in digs with 1,972 and seventh in service aces with 109. Her 704 digs this season were the second-most in a season. She was also the program's first-ever First Team All-SAC performer and has a strong chance of regional post-season honors.
-
Riley Brandon had 12 kills and four digs in her final match. She ends her career with 785 kills (8th all time) in 2,406 attempts (8th all-time). She is ninth in total points with 893.5 and also had 59 aces, 446 digs, and 145 total blocks.
-
Serina Petersen had six kills tonight. She finishes with 394 kills and 209 total blocks. The 209 blocks are ninth all time, while her 54 solo blocks and 155 assist block rank ninth and eighth, respectively.
UP NEXT
UVA Wise Volleyball will return in August, 2027.
