The Rhodes Women's Volleyball team hosted Centre College and the Sewanee Tigers this weekend in Mallory Gymnasium. The Lynx played for these SAA conference matchups at noon on Saturday and Sunday. The Lynx fell to the Colonels in three sets but came back to defeat the Tigers in a thrilling five-set reverse sweep. 

RECAP: RHODES VS Centre College

The matchup started slow for the Lynx, with Centre taking a 7-point lead early in the first set. Setter Emma Clark led a couple of service runs for the Lynx, but ultimately, attacking and reception errors set the Lynx back to fall in the first set 18-25. 

Again in this second set, the Lynx started the set with attacking errors. The Lynx were making smart choices in their swings, yet many would fall just outside the court lines, leading Centre to retake a significant lead. The Lynx would fall 13-25.

The Lynx battled this third set, not allowing a huge lead until a service run by the Colonels put the Lynx in a point deficit that they could not dig themselves out of, leading to a loss in the third set, 19-25. The Lynx were defeated by Centre 3-0, but they will face them again later in the season in Danville, KY. 

Key Performances:

• Hope Wehrli led in kills with 7 and 3 blocks. 

• Olivia Wiseman led the defensive with 13 digs.

RECAP: RHODES VS University of the South 

Sunday's five-set thriller started slow for the Lynx, similar to the funk they were in during Saturday's game. Sewanee began the first set with a 6-point lead, making it hard for the Lynx to fight back toward the end. They took a first-set loss, 18-25. 

The second set was much more of a battle between the teams, with nothing more than a four-point lead throughout. The Sewanee offense was putting away the ball effectively, leading to the Tigers taking the second set 20-25. 

With all odds against the Lynx and a chip on their shoulder, the team made some defensive adjustments and came out ready to fight in the 3rd set. The Lynx started to pick up attacks from Sewanee and played scrappy to keep plays alive. Mackenzie Geer and Emma Clark spread the ball well during this set to slow down the Tiger defense, resulting in domination of the 3rd set and Lynx taking their first set win of the weekend. 

The Lynx were not done yet, and the fight had just begun. Defensively, the Lynx played phenomenally with many long rallies and made some changes, bringing Chloe Davis and Ashlyn Martin into the game. The Lynx took advantage of Sewanee's errors and forced them to slow down their offense because of our ability to have a strong defense and run our offensive system. Tied at 19-19, Chloe Davis led the Lynx on a 4-point run to create separation between the teams. Mackenzie Geer's back-to-back kill and block gave the Lynx the momentum as the Lynx forced the match into a 5th set, winning the 4th 25-20. 

The Lynx started the 5th set out slowly, with Sewanee holding a 0-4 lead. After calling a timeout and resetting, the Lynx settled into the 5th set focused and ready to go. Both teams had a back-and-forth effort, with the Lynx battling back from the early deficit. With the score tied 8-8, the Lynx could take the lead with a kill from Meg Gebhart. Gebhart responded again with back-to-back kills, taking the momentum in favor of the Lynx. While the score remained close, the Lynx had control of the set and successfully took the win closed out with a kill from Yzzi Dsamou. The final score was 15-12, with the Lynx winning the match 3-2 against the SAA rival.

Key Performances:

• Yzzi Dsamou led the Lynx with 15 kills. 

• Both Meg Gebhart and Olivia Wiseman had 15 digs each.

• Hope Wehrli had 6 blocks. 

• Emma Clark had 17 assists, and Mackenzie Geer had 16. 

Team Statistics:

• The team's record is 9-6 and 2-1 in conference play. 

Looking Forward: Hendrix College and Millsaps College

The Lynx will host Hendrix College in Mallory Gymnasium in Memphis, TN, this weekend on October 4th at 6 pm for their Dig Pink and Greek Night. The team will then travel to Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, to play on Sunday, October 6th, at noon. 

Historical Matchup Overview:

• The Lynx swept the Hendrix Warriors in Conway, Arkansas, earlier this season.

• The last matchup between Millsaps and Rhodes was last season and was a thrilling 5-set win for the Lynx in Mallory.