DAYTON, Tenn. – The Bluefield University women's volleyball team defeated Bryan College 3-1 in its Appalachian Athletic Conference opener on the road Friday evening before falling to Tennessee Wesleyan 3-0 Saturday afternoon.

With the split, the Rams move to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in AAC play.

Game One: Bluefield 3 – Bryan College 1 (27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23)

Set 1
Bryan (1-16, 0-1 AAC) gained an early advantage, leading 13-9 before Bluefield charged back. Senior outside hitter Liangelys Santana and junior middle hitter Morgan Wigg led a 3-0 run to pull within one, 13-12. Senior middle hitters Abbey Boehm and Camille Gonzalez Rivera then delivered back-to-back kills to tie the set at 14. The Lions later extended their lead to 23-19, but BU answered with a 6-1 rally. Santana and Wigg sparked the run, while Gonzalez Rivera and senior defensive specialist Eledy Torres gave the Rams a 25-24 edge. Back-to-back Bryan attack errors sealed the set, giving BU a 1-0 lead.

Set 2
Bluefield jumped ahead early with kills from Wigg and Santana, 6-4. The Lions regained the lead, but a Gonzalez Rivera kill and an ace from freshman setter Kylee Sturgill tied things at 14. Junior outside hitter Chesed Russell and Santana then fueled a 3-0 burst for a 16-14 advantage. With the frame tied 22-22, Wigg and Santana added kills and freshman defensive specialist Sienna Vitelli served an ace to close it out, 25-22, for a 2-0 match lead.

Set 3
Bryan started quickly, 4-1, but junior right side Ella Gawellek and Wigg combined for three kills and a block to take a 5-4 lead. The Rams extended their advantage behind two Santana kills, 10-7, and pushed ahead 15-9 on a 5-0 run highlighted by two more Santana kills and an ace. However, the Lions mounted a late comeback and edged BU 25-23. Boehm and Gonzalez Rivera knotted it at 23-23 with late kills, but Bryan closed the set.

Set 4
Bluefield stormed out to a 6-2 lead, with Gawellek tallying two kills and a block. Santana kept the Rams in front with two kills and an ace for an 11-9 edge. Bryan pulled even later in the set, but Bluefield finished strong with a 5-3 run to close out the match, 25-23, and secure the 3-1 victory.

Match Stats
Santana led all players with 18 kills and 18 digs for a double-double. Gawellek added 16 kills and five blocks. Junior setter Katie Voss dished out 33 assists and tallied four digs, while Torres anchored the defense with 19 digs.

Game Two: Tennessee Wesleyan 3 – Bluefield 0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-17)

Set 1
The Bulldogs (9-5, 1-1 AAC) opened with a 10-4 lead, but Bluefield stormed back with a 12-4 run to go ahead 15-13. Four Rams contributed kills during the stretch, along with four TWU errors. The teams traded points down the stretch, but Tennessee Wesleyan closed with five of the final six to take the set, 25-22.

Set 2
Bluefield controlled early with kills from Russell and Gawellek for a 7-2 lead, then extended it to 12-6 with kills from Santana and Wigg. Santana added five more kills in the set, but a late Bulldog push gave TWU the frame, 26-24, and a 2-0 lead.

Set 3
Both sides traded points early until BU pulled ahead 8-7 on kills from Wigg and Vitelli. A Boehm kill halted a Bulldog run, but Bluefield trailed 14-12. Santana added a late kill, but the Rams couldn't recover as Tennessee Wesleyan secured the sweep, 25-17.

Match Stats
Santana paced BU with 12 kills and 11 digs for her third straight double-double. Torres matched her defensive effort from the previous match with 19 digs and added two assists. Senior setter Izabella Lechuga finished with 17 assists and 10 digs for a double-double.

Bluefield concludes its three-game road swing at Pikeville in an AAC match Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.