MARION, Ala. – The Owls volleyball team swept Judson College in a Friday night dual match, with the junior varsity team defeating the Eagles 3-1 in exhibition play and the varsity team taking Judson 3-1 in the second match for The W's first official victory of the 2021 season.
 
"Our middles came alive tonight in both matches and really solidified our wins," said head coach Brooke Carter. "We continue to struggle with stopping our opponent from going on a run, but we are making better decisions during crucial points in the match. They are doing great jobs receiving feedback and applying it, allowing us to continue to grow. I am very excited they got to celebrate the first two wins of the season tonight and can't wait to see what we can accomplish next week."
                                                                                                                                                         
In match one, the freshmen student-athletes were allowed to shine with no backup from any upperclassmen. The team performed well offensively with a positive hitting percentage at .121 while holding Judson to right above 0 at .022.
 
Jadelyn Trice was the star in game one, recording a match-high of 12 kills and adding three blocks. At setter, Evelyn Pruitt always found her mark to tally 19 in the game for another match-high, edging out fellow Owls Karmen McCrory who played for 12.
 
Service Aces rained in the junior varsity match as the Owls saw 13 undisputed points, just shy of the Eagles 17. Emily Lott and McCrory tied for four to lead The W in aces.
 
Briana Huerta-Ramirez saw 17 digs, and Pruitt tied Trice for a match-high of three blocks on the net's defensive side.
 
The Owls started sluggishly in the second game of the night, allowing Judson to best them in set one, 25-16. The W picked up the pace in the second set to grab the first six points. The Owls kept that momentum going throughout the rest of the game to seal its second victory of the night.
 
The varsity team improved its scoring effort to see a season-high .194 hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Iyana Canada led the effort with 14 kills while adding a match-high three blocks. Pruitt was once again effective at setter to record a season-high 26 assists. The Brandon, Miss. native, also added nine digs.
 
The Owls were once again successful in serves to see a total of 14 service aces. Senior defensive specialist Loren Schmitt led the effort with six, and Pruitt added five.
 
Defensively, Schmitt led the team with 18 digs, and Canada led with three blocks.
 
Owls volleyball will be back in action on Monday, March 8, when The W travels to Itawamba Community College for another exhibition dual match. The first serve is scheduled for 10 a.m.