LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- Backed by career-highs in kills from Summer Johnson and Grace Logterman, the Covenant volleyball team opened the 2021 season in style with a 3-1 (27-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-16) victory over No. 19 Birmingham Southern on Wednesday night inside Barnes PE Center.

It was the first win for Covenant (1-0) over a nationally-ranked foe in the NCAA era of the program. Birmingham Southern (0-1) ranked 19th in the AVCA preseason poll.

Johnson had 15 kills with five digs and three blocks to set a career-high in kills, while Logterman also earned a career-high with 13 kills to go along with four blocks. Logterman registered a .632 hitting percentage and Johnson came in at .545 as the Scots hit .196 in the match.

Rachel Bartlett added 41 assists, nine digs, six kills, and three blocks. Kyla Bailey totaled eight kills and nine digs, while Anna Baldwin had 13 digs. Savannah Savage also added 11 digs, while Riley Howe had five kills and three aces.

A back-and-forth first set saw 11 ties and five lead changes, but it was the Scots that had the final push. Tied at 25-25, Meriel Chupp recorded back-to-back kills to give the Scots a 1-0 match lead.

The Scots surged ahead to an 8-1 lead in the second set as Johnson had three kills in the stretch. Covenant held off a rally from Birmingham Southern as a kill by Howe followed by a Logterman kill sealed the 25-23 set win and a 2-0 match edge for the Scots.

The visiting Panthers kept the match alive with a third set victory, but Covenant responded in a big way in the fourth.

Down 8-6 in the fourth, the Scots went on an 8-2 run to take a 14-10 lead after kills from Bailey and Johnson. Covenant continued to pull away from the Panthers in the set and a Johnson kill, fittingly enough, secured the four-set victory for the Scots.

The Panthers were led by Gigi Fields' 17 kills and nine digs, while Kennedy Dickens had 16 kills. Ansleigh Dailey added 48 assists in the loss.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT

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Bartlett kick save? ??

Bartlett/Johnson combined block? ??@CovenantVball pulled out all the tricks in a 3-1 win over @AVCAVolleyball No. 19-ranked Birmingham Southern!#WeAreTheScots #SCTop10 @ESPNAssignDesk @NCAAVolleyball @NCAADIII pic.twitter.com/652q1dYvWg

— Covenant Scots (@CovenantScots) September 2, 2021

UP NEXT

Covenant travels to Atlanta for the Emory Classic on Sept. 3-4. The Scots face Greensboro on Sept. 3 at 4:30 p.m.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS

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.