Golden Tigers Volleyball Secure First SSAC Win

After falling behind after the first two sets, the Brenau Golden Tigers volleyball team rallied to defeat new conference member, Martin Methodist College 19-25, 21-25, 25-15, 25-17, and 15-10 and secure their first SSAC win on Tuesday night.

Behind the scoring power of senior Ellen Lemos (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), freshman Pam Konken (Stockbridge, GA), and junior Rachel Adam (Athens, GA), the Golden Tigers (2-3 overall, 1-0 conference) pulled out of their sluggish start and swept the last three sets. The three standouts combined for 39 of the Golden Tigers' season-high 57 kills, while sophomore setter Bailey Hicks (Buford, GA) entered the match in the third set and led the team with 29 assists.

Defensively, Lemos and junior Lindsay Kelly (Cumming, GA) each contributed 10 digs, while Adam was a defensive force with 8 blocks. As the match went on, the Golden Tiger defense improved in stopping Martin Methodist's two top scorers, Gloria Watson and Ya Zhao, which proved to be the difference in the match. Watson led the RedHawks with 23 kills, while Zhao added 17.

"I am proud of the way our team persevered and clawed their way back into the match'" said head coach Jeff White. "This type of resolve is great to see as we navigate through a treacherous conference schedule. Our team showed a lot of heart tonight".

Conference play continues this weekend with home matches against Belhaven University on Friday night at 7:00 pm and Loyola University on Saturday at 1:00 pm in the Brenau University Fitness Center.