MOBILE, Ala. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) volleyball team opened the 2017 season with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-8) non-conference victory over the Mississippi College (MC) Choctaws on Tuesday night at the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.
 
The Choctaws (2-3) jumped out to an early 7-2 lead on the Badgers in the first set only to see SHC rally back to tie the set at 16-16. A crucial 6-0 run by SHC made it a 22-18 bulge for the home team who closed out the set at 25-20.
 
In the second set, the Badgers again fell behind 7-3, but clawed back to take a 13-9 advantage before the Choctaws also battled back to knot the set at 13-13. Another late run by Spring Hill turned a 14-14 score into a 20-16 Badger cushion from which they did not look back on the way to a 25-19 victory.
 
The third set was all Badgers as SHC steamrolled out to a 13-7 lead and then put their foot down in a 10-0 run that made it an insurmountable 23-7 mountain for MC and a 25-8 final.
 
As a team, SHC mashed out a .307 (35-8-88) attack percentage with five total block, four aces and 51 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Payton Gidney paced the offense with nine kills and a .400 (9-1-20) attack percentage. Setters Hannah Fromdahl and Emmarose Neibert handed out 14 and 13 assists respectively while junior Randi De'Armitt served up two aces with 12 digs. Junior Morgan Eiland collected three block assists and sophomore libero Cassidi Sterrett scooped in 13 digs and 12 receptions.
 
MC was held to a .057 (27-21-106) attack percentage with six aces, 40 digs and one block as Shelby Grace Mays had nine kills with three aces. Sydney Chandler passed out 11 assists and Julia Martin had 10 digs with 13 receptions.
 
The Badgers (1-0) next travel to New Orleans on Thursday night to face non-conference rivals the Xavier University (La.) Gold Nuggets (4-1) in The Convocation Center beginning at 6 p.m.