BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Birmingham-Southern volleyball team picked up where they left off in San Antonio with wins over Huntingdon and LaGrange on Thursday night. 

Game 1 vs. Huntingdon

In set one, two consecutive Emily Buhl kills gave the Panthers a 7-3 lead early. The Hawks cut the lead to one later on in the set, but the Panthers continued to piece together points. BSC never trailed in set one, and a Madison Williams kill for the 25th point gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Set two picked up where the previous set left off. A Grace Waddell service ace gave the Panthers a 10-5 lead early in set two. Huntingdon then gained two consecutive points to make the score 10-7. The Hawks were not able to shrink the deficit any more for the remainder of set two. BSC strung together seven points in a row to extend their lead to eleven late on. They then closed out set two on another Madison Williams kill to give themselves a 25-14 set victory and go up 2-0 on the night.

It looked like the Panthers were going to complete the sweep in set three, but the Hawks had other ideas. Despite taking an early 3-2 lead, the Panthers let set three slowly slip away. BSC kept it close and trailed only 12-11 roughly halfway through, but Huntingdon pulled away and led 20-12 late. The Panthers pieced together four consecutive points to make the score 22-17, but the Hawks held them off and won set three 25-20.

Frustrated with the result of the last set, BSC looked to finish off Huntingdon in set four. However, momentum stayed on the side of the Hawks. After trailing by as much as four, the Panthers trimmed the deficit to one about halfway through the set to make the score 14-13. Huntingdon then stretched their lead to 21-14. BSC continued to fight back and made the score 24-22, but Huntingdon closed out set four with a 25-22 win to even the score at 2-2.

Despite the comeback by Huntingdon, it was all to play for in set five. The Panthers did not let the past two sets hold them back as they jumped out to a 9-4 lead after three-straight Emily Buhl kills. When it looked like BSC was going to run away with the final set, the Hawks fought back and made the score 14-13 BSC. Ainsley Schultz then put an end to the comeback with a kill and gave the Panthers the win on the night. 

Records
Birmingham-Southern 2-3 Overall, Huntingdon 0-5 Overall
 
Set Summary 
SET ONE: 25-18 BSC
SET TWO: 25-14 BSC
SET THREE: 25-20 Huntingdon
SET FOUR: 25-22 Huntingdon
SET FIVE: 15-13 BSC

Game 2 vs. LaGrange

In set one, the Panthers jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead thanks to two consecutive Claire Hayes service aces. BSC did not let the short rest get to them and continued to pour it on LaGrange with a 21-9 lead. They then finished off set one on a Kylie Wilhelmi kill to make the score 25-13.

Set two proved to be more of the same. After leading 13-8, the Panthers exploded on a 10-1 run led by four Gracie Sims kills to take a commanding 23-9 lead. In total control, BSC finished set two with a 25-11 win.

Looking for the sweep, the Panthers did not mess around in set three. After being tied at nine-a-piece, BSC took a three-point lead 17-14 after back-and-forth play. They then ended the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-15 and completed the sweep of LaGrange on the night. 

Records
Birmingham-Southern 3-3 Overall, LaGrange 1-2 Overall
 
Set Summary 
SET ONE: 25-13 BSC
SET TWO: 25-11 BSC
SET THREE: 25-15 BSC

Up next
The Panthers will be on the road next Tuesday, Sept. 12 in Lookout Mountain, Ga. against Covenant at 6:00 p.m. EST.