NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 3, LaGrange 2
Score: Piedmont 0, Huntingdon 3
Record: Piedmont 5-9
 
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In the 2019 USA South opener, Piedmont faced LaGrange and Huntingdon at the home of the Hawks Saturday earning a split with a hard fought win over the Panthers before being swept by the Hawks. The Lady Lions took a 3-2 win over LaGrange after falling behind 2-0 but could not overcome the same deficit against Huntingdon losing 3-0.

The Panthers took a convincing lead and had the Lady Lions with their backs against the wall claiming 26-24 wins in both of the first two sets. Piedmont led 24-23 in the first set before dropping three straight and again had set point in the second set 24-21 before dropping the last five points. 

In the third set, the Lady Lions found a way to culminate the success with a win 25-20, but another tough extra points set would come in the fourth. Piedmont led 16-10 in the fourth set and had the lead 24-19 before falling behind 27-26 and had to claim the final three points to survive to the fifth.

In the fifth, Piedmont surged ahead 7-1 and claimed a 15-10 win to take the match and move to 1-0 in USA South play. ALINA ROBERTS led the team with 14 kills while a pair of freshmen also added double-figure kills. LAINEY CHOINIERE posted 37 digs while JENNA WENDEL had 24 assists. 

Against Huntingdon, the Hawks maintained control taking a 17-10 lead in the first set and won 25-15, but the second set was a closer battle. An 8-0 run gave the Lady Lions momentum in the second set as they led 16-11, but the Hawks answered with their own run and claimed the second set 25-23. 

The third set was again close, but the Hawks prevailed 25-21. ERICA BALKCUM led Piedmont with six kills. 
 
TURNING POINT:
--Against LaGrange, it took extra points to decide three of the five sets with Piedmont surviving a 29-27 fourth set to force the deciding set. 

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--ALYSSA HALL posted a season-best 12 kills against LaGrange, second only to ALINA ROBERTS who continued her dominance with 14 kills.
--ALI WILKINS had a career-best 10 aces against the Panthers. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW:
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