Johnson Upsets Top-Seeded Pikeville as AAC Volleyball Semifinal Field Takes Shape

ATHENS, Tenn. - No. 8 seed Johnson (TN) (15-16) upset No. 1 seed Pikeville (KY) (26-3) in four sets Friday, Nov. 13, in Kingsport, Tenn., to open the quarterfinal round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) women's volleyball tournament. Reinhardt, Tennessee Wesleyan and Columbia International also advanced to the semifinals.

Johnson won 20-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 behind Zowee Dillard's 20 kills and 18 digs. Olivia Chapman ended the opening set with an ace for Pikeville, but Johnson recovered from a 7-4 second-set deficit and hit .390 to even the match. In the third, Johnson erased an 8-4 deficit with six consecutive points, then overcame a late 21-20 deficit by scoring the final five points. An eight-point run turned a 7-5 fourth-set deficit into a 13-7 Johnson lead. Pikeville closed within 22-19 before an attack error and consecutive Dillard kills ended the match. Kierstin Bell added 15 kills, while Caelyn Marshall and Madison Dahl each recorded 25 assists. Lanie Hawley led Pikeville with 15 kills and five blocks, and Chloie Brinton finished with 50 assists and 10 digs.

No. 2 seed Reinhardt (GA) (24-6) followed with the day's only sweep, defeating No. 7 seed Bryan (TN) (18-13) 25-21, 25-22, 25-18. Breah Watson delivered 12 kills on .588 hitting and seven blocks as Reinhardt held a 9-2 blocking advantage. Three straight points broke an 18-18 first-set tie. Bryan rallied from 20-13 down in the second to get within two points twice before Faith Breitbarth's kill secured the set. Halle Janik served two aces during Reinhardt's five-point start to the third. Bryan later cut a 14-6 deficit to 14-10, but Watson answered with a kill and a shared block with Jenna Smith. Watson's solo block finished the match. Zoe Van Waaijen added 10 kills, while Janik had 17 assists and 12 digs. Shelby Kelly paced Bryan with 14 kills and 13 digs, Leah Lindquist had 10 kills and Kaci Wade supplied 30 assists and 13 digs.

No. 4 seed Tennessee Wesleyan (24-7) defeated No. 5 seed Truett McConnell (23-11) 18-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-23. Truett McConnell erased a 12-6 deficit to take the opener, but Tennessee Wesleyan answered with six blocks in the second set and finished with a 12-1 blocking advantage. Nyah Hudson recorded 13 kills on .375 hitting and nine blocks, including four solo blocks. Tennessee Wesleyan won five of the final six points in the third, with Hudson and Peyton Grabowski delivering the last two kills. In the fourth, Tennessee Wesleyan recovered from 14-9 down, then used four consecutive Katie Pennington kills to turn an 18-15 deficit into a 19-18 lead. Truett McConnell regained a 23-22 edge before Tennessee Wesleyan took the last three points, ending on Hudson's kill. Alley Hibdon contributed 30 assists and 16 digs, and Gracelyn Jackson had 21 digs. Faith Clarkson led Truett McConnell with 15 kills, followed by Alexis Mills with 13.

No. 3 seed Columbia International (20-12) completed the quarterfinals by beating No. 6 seed Brenau (GA) (19-10) 25-23, 24-26, 25-23, 25-17. Brenau erased 13-5 deficits to take the lead in both the first and third sets, but CIU recovered to win each. In between, Claire Beckman's kill and Anna Adolphson's ace closed the second set for Brenau after CIU had rallied from 15-9 down to force extra points. Mary Norwood broke a 23-23 third-set tie with a kill before a Brenau attack error gave CIU a 2-1 match lead.

CIU then scored seven consecutive points to turn an 8-6 fourth-set deficit into a 13-8 lead. Ashlee Gomes' kill and Eevy Bellar's solo block supplied the final two points. Norwood finished with 13 kills on .353 hitting, Bellar added seven kills and seven blocks, and Macy Brooks recorded 36 assists, 10 digs and two aces. Ashlyn Browning led Brenau with 13 kills and 15 digs, Nathalia Quintero contributed 39 assists and eight kills, and Jomaris Maldonado collected 18 digs. CIU hit .217 while Brenau finished at .071 with 38 attack errors.

The championship match is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Johnson, Reinhardt, Tennessee Wesleyan and CIU next play in the semifinal round Saturday, Nov. 14, with matches scheduled for 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.