College Volleyball Final – Lynchburg 3, Guilford 1

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Kelly Layne had nine kills and five blocks in Lynchburg College’s 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 25-20 win over visiting Guilford College in Wednesday’s Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) volleyball opener for both teams.

Layne sparked the Hornets (4-6, 1-0 ODAC) in the first game with four kills on seven attempts. The Quakers (1-7, 0-1 ODAC) answered in game two behind six of Casey Davis’ match-high 15 kills. Lynchburg took advantage of 10 Guilford hitting errors in the narrow third-game win, which set up hard-fought fourth and final set.

The fourth set featured nine of the match’s 14 ties and four of the six lead changes. Guilford rallied from an early 4-0 hole and gained a 9-8 edge midway through the fourth. Lynchburg regained a 17-14 edge, but the Quakers answered with a 5-1 burst for a 19-18 advantage. After a Hornets’ timeout, Lynchburg reeled off six of the match’s final seven points for the 25-20, clinching victory. Maral Tsalmon served up two of her match-high four aces in the decisive stretch.

Amelia Dalton led Lynchburg with 11 kills and Jennifer Garrett chipped in nine. Lynn Walsh set up 22 of the Hornets’ 40 assists and Sam Page had a club-best 14 digs.

Guilford’s Davis added 18 digs to her 15 kills for a double-double. Teammate Kelsey Ruehling contributed 11 kills and a match-best 20 digs. Maile Munro had 40 assists and Steffi Dutton notched 15 digs.

Coach Emily Gann’s Quakers open their home schedule this Friday with a 6:30 p.m. ODAC match with Roanoke College in the Ragan-Brown Field House.