MARYVILLE, Tenn. – The Maryville College volleyball team hosted its first game of the season, earning an impressive 3-0 sweep over the Berea Mountaineers.
Addison Appleby led the attack for the Scots, posting eight kills, followed by Lexi Davis and Ruby Walton with seven kills apiece. Appleby also dominated from the service line, recording eight service aces on the evening, with the majority coming in the third set. On the opposite side, Dakota Vaiese continued her streak of 30-plus assists per match, recording 31 assists on the evening. Kyrah Bowles led the Scots defensively with 15 digs. As a team, Maryville generated 40 kills, 34 assists, 51 digs and 11 service aces.
Appleby kicked off the scoring in set one with a kill before following up with her first service ace of the game. Charli Grubbs and Vaiese followed with points of their own, and after a few Mountaineer errors, Maryville held a 7-3 lead. Following two Berea points, the Scots went on a 7-1 run, featuring kills from Walton and Appleby, as well as a service ace from Vaiese, extending Maryville's lead to 14-6. Following a brief break in the scoring, the Scots' offense found another boost, igniting another large run powered by Davis and Walton and widening the lead to 24-9. After two Berea points, a final kill from Davis ended the first set in favor of the Scots, 25-11.
Set two started with a service error from the Scots before Maryville pieced together five consecutive points to take a 5-1 lead. Berea responded with a short run of its own, allowing the Mountaineers to take a 10-8 lead. Maryville did not allow Berea to hold the lead for long, sparking an 8-2 run led by Appleby and Aubrey Gibson. Berea refused to let go, once again taking the lead as both teams battled to pull ahead. The Scots pressured the Mountaineers with a 24-23 advantage, but an attack error gave Berea one final opportunity. A kill from Grubbs followed by a service ace from Bowles ended the second set, 26-24, giving Maryville a 2-0 advantage.
Set three began with one of the most productive offensive stretches of Maryville's young season. The Scots opened the set on an 8-0 run before Berea could respond, with Davis, Grubbs and Gibson earning kills alongside four service aces from Appleby. A kill from Walton extended Maryville's lead to 11-2, but the Mountaineers responded with a 6-2 run of their own to cut into the deficit. A kill from Appleby was followed by a Davis kill and another Appleby service ace, but Berea answered with a four-point streak, cutting Maryville's once-dangerous lead to just three points at 18-15. With several Berea attack errors, combined with kills from Walton, Vaiese and Davis, Maryville maintained the pressure and pushed its lead to 23-18. After another brief run from the Mountaineers, Appleby capped off a career night with back-to-back kills, sealing the third set, 25-21, and completing the 3-0 sweep.
The Scots are back in action Saturday, Sept. 26, at 4:00 PM. CT at the Sewanee Quad Match, where they will play their first conference match of the season against the Rhodes Lynx.
