MARYVILLE – Maryville bumped its winning streak to 12 matches Saturday with a pair of 3-0 decisions against LaGrange and Agnes Scott.
The Scots after Senior Day ceremonies handled LaGrange 25-14, 25-17 and 25-13. Maryville played its seniors almost exclusively in that first match before handing things over to the younger classes in the second one. Maryville in the nightcap took down Agnes Scott 25-10, 25-13 and 25-16.
Maryville's five seniors –
Meredith Bonee,
Amii Ingalls,
Hannah Potts,
Isabella Samson and
Brooklyn Wallet – were honored before the tri-match began.
"It was a great Senior Day," Maryville head coach
Kandis Schram said. "The first match, we played all our seniors and let them ride it out and that was great. And then intentionally, we passed the torch against Agnes Scott for that rite of passage and knowing they are in a good spot with their legacy. It was a good day for that."
Ingalls posted 14 kills in the opener against LaGrange for her second-best total in a three-setter this season (18 vs. Piedmont). She added 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Bonee contributed her 11th double-double 30 assists and 13 digs.
Carruthers Season-High 10 Kills
In the second match,
Caleigh Carruthers highlighted the stat sheet with 10 kills for her first time in double-figures as a collegian. The Scots improved to 16-0 against Agnes Scott since 2011.
Maryville's two wins Saturday landed them in a second-place tie with Huntingdon at 13-3. Covenant claimed the regular season crown at 14-2, and Berea is fourth at 12-4 after losing Saturday at home to Huntingdon.
The Scots won the tiebreaker against Huntingdon and now host a quick rematch against seventh-seeded LaGrange on Tuesday night. Start time for the quarterfinal round contest is 7 p.m. in the Cooper Athletic Center.
One year ago, Maryville ended the regular season on a 10-match winning streak. The Scots then won in the tournament quarterfinals before falling 3-2 to Meredith in the semifinals.
Schram believes this year's team has built off that experience and those from earlier this season and is headed in the right direction.
"What has been so rewarding is they have taken to heart all the lessons from the beginning of the season and really tried to pay attention to the small things, tried to elevate our communication," Schram said. "Because of those things, we're playing a little grittier and playing with a little more confidence.
"Not that we lost confidence, we just didn't know how to lose. Now they are taking those loses and saying. 'We're going to learn something from them and not going to repeat them.' I like how we're playing right now, but so much comes down to luck. We'll see."
