Rhodes Volleyball Sweeps Opening Weekend

This weekend, the Rhodes Women's Volleyball team opened up their 2024 season by hosting the Annual Opening Weekend Tournament. Featured in the tournament were Belhaven University, Principia College, and Lyon College. All participating teams entered the tournament with 0-0 records, looking to start their season with a win. 

RECAP: RHODES VS Belhaven University 

The Lynx started the first set of the match against the Blazers going back and forth. Rachel Clarke's two back-to-back kills set off the momentum for a 5-point run led by server Emma Clarke. The Lynx held on to the lead for the rest of the first set to finish the 25-20. 

The Lynx held on to that momentum, starting the second set with a 4-point run. The offensive weapon, sophomore Yzzi Dsamou, with five kills in the second set, led the Lynx to dominate, winning 25-8. 

Maggie Lukemire set the tone, starting the third set with a service ace. Freshmen Hadley Wright and Isabella Kventensky made their first appearances for the Lynx and put some points on the board for the team. The final score of the 3rd set was 25-21, handing the Lynx their first win of the season. 

Key Performances:

• Rachel Clarke led the Lynx offensive with 11 kills, hitting .769.

• Meg Gebhart led the defense with 13 digs.

RECAP: RHODES VS Lyon College 

Both teams started the game a little slow, with no team able to take the momentum. After point 15, kills by sophomore Yzzi Dsamou and senior Kym Young ignited the Lynx to keep the lead for the rest of the set, finishing 25-23. 

The Lynx started the second set with a three-point run. The Lynx capitalized on Lyon's errors and started the momentum early. Sophomore setter Emma Clark finished the game with a seven-point serving run, scoring 25-12.

In the third set, Lyon went on two six-point runs, resulting in a nine-point gap during the set. The Lynx fought till the end but fell to the Scots 17-25. 

The fourth set was an intense match, with both teams going on runs at different points. Sophomore outside, Yzzi Dsamou led the Lynx with five kills, and Junior Hope Wehrli had 3 kills from the middle. The teams battled, but the Lynx held out to win the set in extra points 26-24 to seal their second win of the season. 

Key Performances:

• Yzzi Dsamou led the Lynx offensive with 15 kills

• Olivia Wiseman led the Lynx defensive with 20 digs

• At the net, middles Rachel Clarke and Hope Wehrli had nine total blocks

Team Statistics:

• After this weekend, the Lynx have a total of 95 digs

• With multiple serving runs, the Lynx had 20 serving aces 

Looking Forward: Rhodes College Classic

Next weekend, the Lynx will host the Rhodes College Classic in Mallory Gymnasium. The tournament will start Friday, September 6th, and finish Saturday, September 7th. On Friday, the Lynx will face off against Moravian University at 1 p.m. and LeTourneau University at 7 p.m. On day two of the tournament, the Lynx will play the University of Dallas at 11 a.m. and Elmhurst University at 4 p.m. 

Historical Matchup Overview:

• The Lynx have not previously faced off against Moravian and Elmhurst. The last matchup against the University of Dallas was in 2015, where the Lynx fell. Rhodes' record against LeTourneau goes back to 2008, with an overall record of 2-3 historically.