The Basics
Score: Evangel 3, Central Methodist 2 | Box Score
Record: Evangel (3-1), Central Methodist (2-3)
Location: Springfield, Mo. (AGFinancial Arena)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel Volleyball returned home on Tuesday (Aug. 25) evening, taking on the Central Methodist Eagles in their home opener. After earning a five set win on Saturday, the Valor would once again go the distance, ultimately taking a narrow 3-2 win on Tuesday behind an efficient night from Charlotte Hawkins and 16 kills from Simone Johnson.
Evangel and Central Methodist played a tightly contested first set, as the Valor would lead 15-14 after an Abby Ferguson kill. Four consecutive Eagles points would give CMU a 18-15 lead and errors from the Evangel offense allowed the Eagles to take a 24-17 lead. Simone Johnson would record four straight kills in the set, but it proved to be too little, too late, as EU fell 25-21.
After CMU came out with a 9-3 lead in the second set, a timeout from head coach Mary Whitehead turned the tide for the Valor. Evangel battled throughout the set and finally took the lead after trailing 20-16, using a 6-0 run, with a pair of kills from Johnson and a kill from Ashya Thompson to give EU a 22-20 lead. Lily Lambeth would close out the set for the Valor with a kill to give EU a 25-22 win and a tie in sets won.
Evangel hit a blazing .333 attacking percentage in set three, helping guide to a 25-19 win in the set, as Jessica Pritchett, Charlotte Hawkins, Lambeth, and Johnson all recorded several kills in the period.
The Valor stumbled in set four and dropped the set, despite leading early on 9-6. CMU would rattle off a 7-0 run and never look back in the period, as the Valor needed to win the fifth and final set to close out the game.
In the race to 15, CMU and Evangel would trade points, ultimately getting all knotted up at 12-12. The Valor would use kills from Pritchett, Hawkins, and Thompson to end the game on a 3-0 run, taking a 15-12 win on Tuesday over CMU.
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Evangel Volleyball hits the road on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 28/29) to take part in the Texas Two-Step, taking on Texas A&M-Texarkana, Texas Wesleyan, Nelson, and Our Lady of the Lake.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play. Â
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