SAA 2023 Volleyball Report – Week 5

10/2/2023 3:45:03 PM

Atlanta, Ga. – With the first half of the Southern Athletic Association schedule nearing its end, Berry leads the conference standings at 5-0 with Centre just game behind at 4-1. Sewanee and Birmingham-Southern both stand at 3-2 in league play.
 
The 12th-ranked Vikings have won nine of their last 10 with the only setback coming to sixth-ranked Emory on Friday night. The Colonels are riding a three-match winning streak while the Tigers have on their last two. SAA teams will finish the first round of conference play this weekend before playing the mirrored schedule to close the season.
 
Around the League:
SAA Volleyball Standings
SAA Volleyball Stats
 
Athletes of the Week:
OFFENSIVE: Kylie Wilhelmi | Birmingham-Southern | Sophomore | Cherry Valley, Ill. – Hit .269 with 31 kills in two SAA matches last week. The sophomore tallied 14 kill and hit .267 in a close five-set loss to Oglethorpe. Wilhelmi came back the following day and hit .270 with 17 kills in a 3-1 setback to Berry.
 
DEFENSIVE: Margaret Richardson | Millsaps | Senior | Pensacola, Fla. – Led the Majors to a 1-1 week with a big defensive effort on the road. Totaled 52 digs, averaging 5.4 per set. The senior tallied 23 in a four-set loss to Berry and then racked up 29 in a five-set win over Oglethorpe.
 
Notable Performances:
  • Ashley Crosby (Sewanee) – Hit .253 over three matches. In two weekend sweeps, she hit .268 with 14 kills and just three hitting errors. Her effort led the Tigers to a 2-1 week.
  • Jazzy Innis (Berry) - Helped the Vikings go 2-1 this week, including remaining unbeaten in the SAA. Her week was highlighted with a big time performance against No. 6 Emory, posting 15 kills, 5.0 kills/set, .308 hitting %, two blocks and 11 digs.
  • Emily Gardner (Centre) – Led Centre to a 3-0 week; set a school record with 60 assists in a victory over Sewanee. She followed that up with 45 assists against Hendrix and 35 against Rhodes to give her 140 for the week and an average of 11.7 per set. Also added 13 kills from her setter position and 37 digs.
  • Ellie Alfonso (Oglethorpe) – Enjoyed a big week, including back-to-back matches of 15 kills as the Stormy Petrels topped Birmingham Southern at home then fell in five tight sets to Millsaps. She posted a double-double in both matches with 13 and 20 digs, respectively.
  • Breena Macaluso (Millsaps) - In the 4 set loss to Berry, totaled 14 kills and hit.265 on the match.  In the five- set win against Oglethorpe she had 10 kills, hitting .214.
  • Adele Cassidy (Sewanee) – Averaged six digs per set, racking up 53 over three matches. The senior’s week was highlight with 21 digs in a sweep of Hendrix.
  • Grace Waddell (Birmingham-Southern) – Totaled 35 digs over nine sets for the Panthers, including a 19-dig night against nationally ranked Berry.
  • Kate Whittle (Berry) - Helped the Vikings go 2-1 this week, including remaining unbeaten in the SAA. She recorded 56 digs and 5.09 digs/set, behind a block that posted 2.91 blocks/set this week. 
  • Sofia Cendoya (Oglethorpe) – Posted two big matches over the weekend, tallying 18 digs in a win Saturday before collecting 27 more in a loss on Sunday. She also provided a service ace and four assists in Sunday's match.
 
Looking Forward:
SAA Volleyball Schedule
 
Volleyball Weekly Report Archive
Week 1 – Sept. 5
Week 2 – Sept. 11
Week 3 – Sept. 18
Week 4 – Sept. 25