XENIA, Ohio — The Spring Hill College women's volleyball team continued its dominant start to Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, sweeping all four opponents at the SIAC West Division Cluster #1 this weekend to extend its conference winning streak to eight matches.
The Badgers opened the weekend Friday with a 25-19, 25-7, 25-5 sweep of LeMoyne-Owen College before taking down Kentucky State University, 25-11, 25-19, 25-15. Spring Hill carried the momentum into Saturday, sweeping Lane College, 25-16, 25-15, 25-14, before closing the weekend with a 25-20, 25-15, 25-12 victory over Central State University.
Spring Hill opened the weekend with a dominant offensive showing against LeMoyne-Owen. Quinn Thurman led the Badgers with 11 kills, while Colleen Engstler added seven and Claire Hayes finished with five. Cassie Creech recorded 12 assists and Lily Floyd added 10, while Ashlyn Whiteside and Samaya Hennessy each posted nine digs. The Badgers hit .338 as a team and held LeMoyne-Owen to -.096 hitting.
The Badgers followed with another sweep of Kentucky State, hitting .325 as a team. Hayes paced the attack with 11 kills on .526 hitting, while Hennessy added five kills and six service aces. Floyd contributed four aces and Creech added two as Spring Hill finished with 14 aces in the three-set victory.
Saturday morning brought another straight-set victory, this time over Lane. Bailey Bevolo led the Badgers with nine kills, followed by Hayes with eight and Hennessy with seven. Hennessy added four aces, while Whiteside anchored the defense with 14 digs. Creech finished with 15 assists and Floyd added 12 as Spring Hill hit .242 and held Lane to -.043 hitting.
Spring Hill closed the weekend against Central State with a 25-20, 25-15, 25-12 sweep. Hayes and Hennessy each recorded nine kills, while Engstler and Bevolo each contributed four blocks. Creech added 15 assists and five aces, while Floyd finished with 11 assists. Whiteside once again led the defensive effort, recording 19 digs. The Badgers held Central State to .000 hitting while hitting .226 themselves.
Across the four matches, Spring Hill never dropped a set and allowed its opponents to reach 20 points in just three of the 12 sets played. The Badgers also held all four opponents below .100 hitting, including a -.096 mark from LeMoyne-Owen and a .000 mark from Central State.
The four victories push Spring Hill to 9-7 overall and 8-0 in SIAC play. The Badgers have won eight consecutive conference matches, all eight coming by way of a sweep.
Spring Hill returns to action Friday, Oct. 2, for the SIAC Crossover #2 in Xenia, Ohio. The Badgers face Clark Atlanta University at 11:30 a.m. before taking on Fort Valley State University at 4:30 p.m. Spring Hill will close the crossover Saturday, Oct. 3, against Allen University at 8 a.m.