BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Covenant volleyball team got its season off on the right foot on Friday as they defeated LaGrange 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-20) in the opening match of the MckAttack Classic and then knocked off classic host Birmingham Southern 3-2 (25-20, 25-18, 24-26, 24-26, 15-12) in the nightcap.
Covenant goes to 2-0 for the second straight year. Birmingham Southern, who went 21-9 a year ago, goes to 1-1 on the year.
In the second match of the day, Covenant won the first two sets before falling in the next two. Trailing 12-11 in the fifth set, the Lady Scots rallied with four straight points to defeat the host Panthers.
Freshman Schuyler Moore recorded a triple-double with 12 kills, 26 assists and 25 digs to go along with six service aces. Ginny Moore had a team-high 15 kills and 14 digs, while Chelsea VanDyk had 14 kills. Cora Schroeder added 13 kills and four block assists. Stephanie Kirkpatrick registered 23 assists.
Junior Chloe Carlson led Covenant with 38 digs. It is the most digs in a five-set match since 2011, when Carlson's older sister, Estes, achieved the feat. Christina Argaez accumulated 22 digs.
Covenant gained control early on in the first set and ran out to an 18-11 advantage after a kill by Schuyler Moore. The host Panthers cut their deficit to 19-17, but the Lady Scots responded by scoring six of the next nine points, capped by another Schuyler Moore kill, to take the set.
It was more of the same in the second set as Covenant gained an early 10-4 lead only to see Birmingham Southern rally to tie the set at 12. Covenant worked to get the lead back at 19-17 and then rattled off six of seven points to earn the win. Maddie Wieskamp's kill ended the set and gave Covenant a 2-0 match lead.
The Lady Scots held a 23-21 lead in the third set only to see the Panthers come back and take the set 26-24. The fourth set again saw Covenant flirt with victory, but the hosts were able to take the set by another 26-24 lead.
Trailing 12-11 in the fifth set, Schroeder notched consecutive kills to give Covenant a 13-12 edge. Schuyler Moore then recorded her fifth and sixth service aces of the match to give the Lady Scots a huge early season victory.
In the day's first match, Covenant coasted past USA South foe LaGrange in three sets. Though the two schools are division rivals in the USA South, the match will not count towards league standings.
Statistics were not available at the conclusion of the match.
Covenant will play Mount St. Joseph at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning followed by a tilt with Sewanee at 2 p.m. ET to conclude the MckAttack Classic.
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.
