MEMPHIS - The Rhodes College volleyball team opened the 2015 season on their home floor in impressive fashion, sweeping past the Belhaven Blazers, 25-18, 25-23, 25-19, and playing all 21 student-athletes on the roster.

Rhodes starts their season at 1-0 and has now won three straight contests at home dating back to last season.

After a slow start, falling behind 5-1 in set one, the Lynx caught fire and scored eight of the next nine point to surge ahead 9-7. Belhaven would respond with four consecutive points of their own to go up 11-9, but Rhodes would take the lead back for good, scoring six straight points to go up 15-11 and using a huge seven point rally to earn the victory in the first set. Sophomore Elasha Williams was sensational in the first set, earning four kills and hitting .300 from the floor.

In the second set, Rhodes appeared to be in complete control, but a late rally from the Blazers tightened the contest up. The Lynx would fight off the potential comeback and take a 2-0 lead after a huge kill from freshman Caroline Perlis secured the set, 25-23.

Belhaven tried to extend the match in set three, but Rhodes six of the next seven points in a 16-15 match to pull away and earn the 3-0 victory in front of its home fans. 

Freshman Lulu Schulz led the attack for the Lynx with seven kills with a .389 hitting percentage while Williams, Perlis, and freshman Ellen Platt each had four a piece. Many players got into the kill column on the evening. Three freshmen made a mark in the assist column as Ana McMullen had 12, Hannah McCarty had 11, and Arati Joshi had nine. Perlis and McCarty also added two service aces 

Senior Maraia Tremarelli led the way defensively with 17 digs while Schulz, sophomore Gabby Gafford, and senior Lauren Johnson all had two blocks on the night.

As a team, the Lynx hit .202 on the floor, earning 38 kills to only 15 errors. They held Belhaven to a .042 hitting percentage including a -.071 percentage in the third set. Rhodes was dominant in blocks, earning 15 on the night to only three from the Blazers.

Rhodes will now prepare to hit the road for the first time this season, heading up to St. Louis for the 2015 ASICS Invite at Washington University in St. Louis. They will meet the ninth-ranked Bears on Friday at 4 p.m. followed by a matchup with the University of Dallas at 6 p.m. On Saturday, they will start the morning against Rose-Hulman at 9:30 a.m. and end the invite with 1:30 matchup against Blackburn. Some of the games will feature live video and live stats. Click here for the tournament website.