MARYVILLE, Tenn.—In an exciting four-set match, the Birmingham-Southern volleyball team defeated Washington and Lee, 3-1, Friday in Maryville, Tenn.

The Panthers moved to 1-1, while the Generals fell to 1-2. Washington and Lee was ranked third in the NCAA South Region at the end of the 2014 season, and played in the 2014 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• BSC jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and would never trail, winning 25-21 thanks in part to a .303 (15-5-33) attack percentage.
• The Generals rallied to win set two, 27-25, in a close back-and-forth affair where neither team led by more than a few points and the teams played to several ties. The Panthers struggled offensively hitting .102 (12-7-49) while WLU hit .289 (19-6-45).
• Although the Panthers pulled out to an 8-3 lead early in the third set, and then led 15-6, the Generals battled back to keep things close down the stretch. The teams played to five straight ties to the 22-22 mark before BSC pulled ahead 24-22. WLU put up one more point before a service error gave BSC the 25-23 win to pull ahead 2-1 in the match.
• In the fourth set the Generals controlled the lead up to the 10-8 mark, after which the Panthers rattled off six straight points to pull ahead 14-10. WLU clawed its way back and the teams stayed close after the 20-20 mark, playing to a 28-28 tie before BSC put away the final two points to win the set, 30-28, and the match.

MATCH LEADERS

• Freshman Jeneva Salter led the Panthers offensively for the second straight match, recording 18 kills. Junior Laura Van Peursem was not far behind with 15 kills, hitting .481 for the match.
• Senior setter Katie McCormack led again with a match-high 47 assists.
• Four players posted double-digit digs, led by senior libero Lauren Bedford with 16. Freshman Marjorie Ward and sophomore Rylee Segrest had 12 each, and freshman Melaina Hissam added 10.

UP NEXT

• The Panthers play twice tomorrow, facing Lynchburg at 12 p.m. ET and host Maryville at 4 p.m. ET.