MARYVILLE, TN – The William Peace University volleyball team was back in action Saturday, on the road for a pair of conference matches against the Scots of Covenant College and Maryville College, the top two teams in the South Division.

WPU fell in four sets to Covenant, but they bounced back and swept Maryville to salvage a split on the day. The Pacers improve to 18-11 overall, the second highest win total in program history. Their 10-6 record in the USA South also secures their spot among the top eight that qualify for the upcoming conference tournament.

The Pacers had Covenant (15-9, 12-1 USAS) on the ropes in a back-and-forth opening set, but the Scots pulled it out, 25-23, and then went on to win the second, 25-19. WPU trailed late in the third, but they used a 7-0 run to take the set, 25-21, and extend the match. The Pacers couldn't finish the comeback though, as Covenant closed it out, 25-21, in the fourth.

Laura Bland led the attack with a season high 17 kills, while Liana Solomon finished with 17 assists, nine kills, seven digs and a service ace. Tempest Frazier chipped in with nine kills and a block solo. Lindsay Alford added seven kills, four digs and two block solos.

Kennedey racked up a team high 26 assists along with six digs. Carson Williams posted a game high 25 digs and five assists. Connor Davis had 13 digs, three assists, a pair of service aces and a kill, while Maddie Irvin also recorded double figure digs with 10.

In their second match of the day against Maryville (14-9, 10-3 USAS), WPU survived the first two sets, 27-15 and 25-23, before taking over in the third. The Pacers led by as many as 15-1 and won, 25-16.

Bland led the team again with 12 kills, four digs and block solo. Solomon recorded a near triple-double with 11 kills at a.529 clip, to go with nine assists, eight digs, two block assists and a service ace. Frazier notched eight kills, four block assists and two block solos. Paine posted a team high 22 assists and four digs, while Williams led the team with 13 digs and five assists.
 
"It was important that we bounced back after a lackluster performance earlier in the week, and overall, we played very well against two of the best teams the league has to offer," said head coach Kevin Daniels. "It feels like we're starting to peak at the right time, but with three more to go against three teams that beat us the first time around, we'll find out what we're made of this week."

The WPU volleyball team returns to the Hermann Center for the final home match of the season this Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m., hosting the Avenging Angels of Meredith College. The Pacers finish out the regular season in Rocky Mount with matches against Averett University and Ferrum College.

For the latest news and updates from William Peace University Athletics, please visit: http://gopeacepacers.com/.