FAIRFIELD, Ala. -- The Spring Hill College women's volleyball team bounced back from a midweek setback with four consecutive sweeps at the SIAC West Division Cluster #2, extending its conference winning streak to 16 matches.
The Badgers (18-8, 16-0 SIAC) opened the weekend Friday with a 25-13, 25-9, 25-16 victory over LeMoyne-Owen College before defeating Central State University, 25-22, 25-16, 25-13, later that afternoon. Spring Hill carried the momentum into Saturday, sweeping Kentucky State University, 25-13, 25-17, 25-9, before closing the cluster with a 25-11, 25-15, 25-15 win over Lane College.
Spring Hill's four victories followed a 3-1 loss to the University of Montevallo on Thursday, with the Badgers responding by winning all 12 sets across the weekend.
Claire Hayes led the offensive effort throughout the cluster, recording 11 kills against LeMoyne-Owen, 10 against Kentucky State and 10 against Lane. She hit .688 against LeMoyne-Owen, finishing with 11 kills on 16 attempts without an attack error.
Samaya Hennessy led the Badgers with 13 kills in the opening sweep of LeMoyne-Owen, adding 14 digs. She followed with nine kills and seven digs against Kentucky State before recording nine kills and a team-high 13 digs against Lane.
Colleen Engstler also delivered a strong weekend, posting 11 kills against Kentucky State while hitting .714. She added eight kills on 13 attempts against Lane, hitting .538.
The Badgers' depth was evident against Central State, where
Quinn Thurman and
Bailey Bevolo each recorded nine kills.
Lily Floyd led the team with 17 assists, while Hennessy finished with 12 digs and
Ashlyn Whiteside added 10.
Spring Hill finished the LeMoyne-Owen match with 46 kills and a .429 hitting percentage, its best offensive performance of the weekend. The Badgers also recorded 42 kills against both Kentucky State and Lane, hitting .361 and .333, respectively.
Cassie Creech helped direct the offense throughout the cluster, recording 26 assists against LeMoyne-Owen and 16 each against Kentucky State and Lane. Floyd added 15 assists against Lane, while the Badgers held the Dragons to a .065 hitting percentage.
The four wins improve Spring Hill to 16-0 in SIAC play as the Badgers continue their pursuit of another conference title.
Spring Hill returns to Mobile for its next match Friday, Oct. 23, hosting LeMoyne-Owen College at 6 p.m. at the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.
