Belhaven edged Covenant 29-27 in the opening set Saturday at Rugg Arena, but the Scots won the next three sets to claim a 3-1 victory. Covenant took the remaining sets 25-11, 25-17 and 25-14.
The opening set had 17 ties and 10 lead changes. Belhaven led 23-21 before Covenant moved in front 24-23. A Covenant attack error and a block by Megan LaCour and Cami Davis gave the Blazers a set point. After Covenant went ahead 27-26, Laila Gauthier tied the score with a kill, and an Aubrianna Gerdes error put Belhaven back in front. Gauthier’s second kill ended the set.
Covenant took control in the second set, hitting .387 and extending a 17-9 lead to 23-9 with six consecutive points. Belhaven briefly led 8-7 in the third after a four-point run capped by a LaCour kill, but the Scots answered with three straight points and won 25-17. In the fourth, Belhaven went ahead 11-8 on an Angel Edwards service ace. Covenant scored seven consecutive points to take the lead and closed the match with a five-point run.
Gauthier led Belhaven with 12 kills. Tarryn Woodall had eight kills and 10 digs, while LaCour recorded six kills and a match-high 26 digs. Edwards finished with 14 assists and 13 digs, and Maggie Joy Tomlin added 13 assists. Belhaven matched Covenant with 73 digs and led 8-5 in team blocks. Covenant had 61 kills and hit .237; Belhaven had 33 kills and hit .083.
Belhaven (11-12, 6-5 CCS) was scheduled to finish conference play next Tuesday at Huntingdon in Montgomery, Alabama. The calendar listed first serve for 6 p.m.
