By Cory Nelson '12

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Shenandoah University volleyball team opened up the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament Friday by splitting a pair of matches with former USA South foes Ferrum and Meredith.

The Hornets (1-2) defeated Ferrum 3-1 in the afternoon match before falling to Meredith, 3-2, in the nightcap.

In the first match of the day, the teams split the opening two sets, with SU taking the first 25-20 and FC winning the second 25-17. Shenandoah closed the door by winning 25-19 in the third and 25-17 in the fourth to clinch the match.

Coach Jaime Terenzi's squad relied heavily on their defense in the victory, totaling 120 digs and 27.5 blocks as a team.

Kaitlyn Kelley led the way with 25 digs, while Emma Murphy and Elizabeth Lamont added 19 and 18, respectively, to pace the Hornets defense.

Emily Cheatwood set the tone at the net totaling 8.5 blocks. Rachel Roberts added 7.5 of her own for the Hornets.

In the final game of day one of the tournament, Shenandoah and Meredith went the distance. The teams alternated wins in the first four sets of the match, with the Hornets claiming set one 25-18 and set three 25-23. Meredith answered back in set two with a score of 25-16 and then again in set four 25-12, forcing a decisive game five.

After battling back and forth, the Avenging Angels claimed the match with a 15-10 victory in the final set.

Kelley had 12 kills and Caylin Harris 11 to pace the offense with Elizabeth Lamont registering 30 digs along with nine kills.

In the opening match of the day, Lamont had a team-high eight kills to go along with 18 assists.

Shenandoah completes tournament play Saturday by taking on tournament host Virginia Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and St. Mary's of Maryland at noon. Both are non-league matches.

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