Rhodes College Goes 2-1 at the Hendrix College Tournament
This weekend, Rhodes Volleyball traveled to Conway, Arkansas, to play their first conference match against Hendrix College. After playing Hendrix, the Lynx played two non-conference matches against Concordia University and Mary-Hardin Baylor. Rhodes entered the tournament with a 6-4 record.
Recap: Rhodes vs Hendrix College
The first set started with the Lynx fired up to get a six-point run with two blocks from sophomore Rachel Clarke. The Lynx led with kills from sophomore Yzzi Dsamou and assists from junior Mackenzie Geer. The Warriors caught up to the Lynx and were ahead 19-20. But the Lynx shut the Warriors run down and went on their six-point run to win the first set 25-20.
The second set was a battle. Both teams wanted the win and fought to put points on the board. The score went back and forth, point by point, and then over 25, with the teams trying to win by two. Sophomore Meg Gebhart had five kills, sophomore Yzzi Dsamou had four kills, and junior Hope Wehrli had three kills helping the Lynx stay in the battle. The Lynx were consistent in their hustle, determination, and grit, leading them to win the second set 28-26.
Heading into a third set with the opportunity for the first time to sweep Hendrix since 2011, the Lynx started early with two four-point runs. Driven by a team goal to win their first conference match, the Lynx maintained the lead for the entire set. The two teams battled, but the Lynx won the third and final set 25-20, solidifying their first conference win of the season with a sweep over the Hendrix Warriors! Roll 'em!
Key Performers:
● Yzzi Dsamou lead the team in offense with 13 kills
● Rachel Clarke had 7 blocks
● Olivia Wiseman had 16 digs, and Maggie Lukemire had 15 digs
Recap: Rhodes vs Concordia
After their win over Hendrix, Rhodes headed into their second match of the day against the Concordia Tornados. The last time the Lynx took on Concordia was in 2012 when they lost in a four-set match. With momentum from their first victory of the day and the knowledge of their history with the Tornados, the Lynx started off the first set fired up. With five kills from sophomore Meg Gebhart, four kills from sophomore Yzzi Dsamou, and two kills from Maggie Lukemire, the Lynx won the first set 25-22.
The second set started with teams going back and forth until the Lynx went on a few small runs to take the lead. The Lynx maintained at least a three-point lead for the remainder of the set, leaving the Tornados fighting to catch up. With a service ace from sophomore Meg Gebhart, the Lynx won the second set 25-22.
With two sets won, the Lynx gave it their all in the third set. However, the Tornados went on a run to give them the advantage, leaving the Lynx battling to catch up. With kills from sophomore Yzzi Dsamou and sophomore Rachel Clarke, the Lynx caught up to the Tornados and fought for the last two points. After a hard fight, the Lynx fell short in the third set 24-26.
With the set score now 2-1 in favor of the Lynx, both teams battled in the fourth set. With kills from sophomore Yzzi Dsamou, sophomore Meg Gebhart, and senior Kym Young, the Lynx put points on the scoreboard. Although they gave it their all, the Lynx fell short 19-25, tying up the set score 2-2.
The Lynx knew they could secure a victory over the Tornados as a collective unit. In the fifth set, with only 15 points needed to win the game, the Lynx reset and fought against the Tornados. Every hitter for the Lynx got a kill this set with assists from junior Mackenzie Geer and sophomore Emma Clark. Working together, the Lynx won the fifth set 15-10 and celebrated a victory.
Key Performers:
● Yzzi Dsamou lead the offense with an impressive 21 kills
● Meg Gebhart leads the defense with 25 digs
Recap: Rhodes vs Mary-Hardin Baylor
For the tournament's last game, the Lynx took on the Crusaders. The first set started with both teams fighting back and forth to maintain the lead until the Lynx went on a four-point run to gain the advantage. The Crusaders did not let down, but the Lynx fought back to win the first set 25-23.
The second set started like the first, with both teams putting points up on the scoreboard. The Crusaders managed to go on a run to give them the advantage, but the Lynx did not stop fighting. With kills from Kym Young, Yzzi Dsamou, and Rachel Clarke, the Lynx battled. Unfortunately, the Lynx fell short in the second set, 20-25.
With the set score now tied 1-1, both teams looked to take the third set. This set was a game of runs, with both teams putting up points at different times. Senior hitter Kym Young had an outstanding game with seven kills for the Lynx. The team fought hard but lost the third set to the Crusaders 20-25.
Going into the fourth set, the Lynx had to win for a chance at victory. The fourth set was a game of back-and-forth points. At the end of the game, both teams were tied 25-25. But with assists from Emma Clark, hitters Meg Gebhart and Kym Young managed to both get a kill to win the set 28-26.
The fifth set started off slow for the Lynx, with the Crusaders going on a five-point run in the beginning. However, the Lynx did not give up and worked as a team to go on a four-point run to catch up to the Crusaders. The Lynx gave it their all and fought to the end. Unfortunately, the Lynx fell short and lost 10-15 to the Crusaders.
Key Performers:
● Kym Young led the offense with 20 kills and 3 blocks
● Emma Clark led the defense with 19 digs
Looking Forward: First Conference Games at Home
Next weekend, on Saturday, September 28th, Rhodes takes on Centre College in Mallory Gymnasium. The following day, on Sunday, September 29th, Rhodes plays Sewanee College. The match against Sewanee is also High School/Club Night, and fans are encouraged to wear red.
Historical Matchup Overview
Last season, Rhodes lost both matches to Centre in conference play. Against Sewanee, Rhodes went 1-1 last season with a victory at home and a loss in Sewanee's gym.
