SEWANEE, Tenn. – The Maryville College volleyball team competed in its first conference match of the season, resulting in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Rhodes Lynx. The Scots battled back from an early 2-0 deficit, winning the next two sets in dominant fashion to force a fifth set. Rhodes ultimately secured the victory in the deciding set.
Maryville hit .204 on the afternoon and led in every statistical category, including kills (60), aces (nine), blocks (nine), assists (51), and digs (70). Ruby Walton and Addison Appleby led the attack with 15 kills apiece, while Dakota Vaiese recorded 45 assists. Kyrah Bowles anchored the defense with 17 digs, followed by Appleby with 15.
The Scots opened set one with an attack error before responding with a 6-0 run, featuring kills from Aubrey Gibson, Lexi Davis, Charli Grubbs, and Vaiese. Rhodes answered with a run of its own to tie the set at 6-6. Neither team was able to pull away, with Walton, Davis, and Grubbs helping keep the Scots within striking distance. With the score tied at 19-19, the Lynx reclaimed the lead. A final kill from Rhodes followed by a Maryville attack error gave the Lynx the first set, 25-22.
Grubbs and Appleby opened set two with kills, but Rhodes responded with a 4-0 run to take a 6-4 lead. Down 10-7, Maryville used a service error to spark a 6-0 run, highlighted by two service aces from Walton and kills from Gibson and Appleby, giving the Scots a 13-10 advantage. After the teams exchanged points, Maryville held a 20-15 lead, with Appleby continuing to make an impact offensively. Rhodes then rallied with three consecutive points to tie the set at 23-23. The teams battled through four ties in extra points before a Rhodes kill followed by a Maryville error gave the Lynx the 29-27 victory.
Maryville regained its energy in set three, jumping out to an early four-point lead. The set remained a back-and-forth battle, with the Scots' attack powered by Jasmine Gross, Walton, Appleby, Davis, and Gibson. With Maryville holding a 19-18 advantage, Appleby delivered a kill before three consecutive Rhodes attack errors extended the Scots' lead. Gibson and Appleby provided the final two kills of the set, giving Maryville its first set victory of the afternoon, 25-21.
The Scots came out with even more intensity in set four, opening with a 10-3 run led by Gross, Gibson, and Walton. After a brief Rhodes run, Maryville responded with another scoring burst, with Kate Eldred, Walton, Appleby, and Vaiese helping push the Scots' advantage to 18-7. Rhodes attempted to chip away at the deficit, but Maryville maintained control. Walton slammed down the final point of the set to give the Scots a 25-16 victory and force a deciding fifth set.
Set five began as another early battle, with Maryville earning three of its first four points off Lynx errors, along with a service ace from Alana Barbarito. Rhodes then pieced together an 8-1 run to reclaim the lead at 11-5. Appleby and Walton sparked a 5-0 Maryville run to bring the Scots within one, but the comeback ultimately fell short as Rhodes claimed the fifth set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
The Scots return to action Sunday, September 27, at 12 p.m. CT, taking on the Millsaps Majors.
