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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (August 25, 2018) – The Webber International University women's volleyball team split its opening two matches of the new 2018 season on Friday, August 24, defeating Tennessee Wesleyan College 3-1 (25-10, 28-26, 26-28, 25-18) and falling to Faulkner University 3-1, but bounced back with two wins over Brewton-Parker College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-20), and Brenau University, 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-12), on Saturday, August 25, to round out the 2018 Faulkner Invitational.

It was a strong first match for Webber (3-1) statistically speaking against Tennessee Wesleyan as the Warriors held the Bulldogs under a .250 hitting percentage during each set while boasting a .375 hitting percentage themselves in the fourth set.

In the first win on day two against Brewton-Parker, Webber held the Barons to a negative attack percentage (.000 attack percentage overall for the match) while hitting .313 percent in the first set and .429 in the second set themselves.

Lastly, in the final match against Brenau, the Golden Tigers were limited to a .032 hitting percentage over the three sets.

"Head Coach Lindsey Martin said after the tournament, "I'm really proud of this group of girls. They grew a lot as a team in the last few days. This weekend was about finding our stride as a team. We tried a lot of different things, some worked, and some didn't. With every change, the team grew closer, honing in on what it takes to compete at the highest level and building their confidence. Although our record doesn't depict this, I believe every match was a win for us; we grew and developed at just the right time to set the stage for the rest of our matches.

The Webber firepower during the first win over TWC was led by senior and returning all-conference player Virginia Salanoa-Sagapolu with 15 kills.

After a strong freshman season for the Warriors, Emily Bowen got her sophomore campaign off on the right foot with a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs. The 12 kills was the third most for Bowen in her career so far.

After a dominating first set of the season for Webber, TWC had an opportunity to take set number two up 25-24 before back-to-back errors gave Webber the advantage back, and then ultimately the Warriors took the two-set lead thanks to back-to-back kills from Bowen and Salanoa-Sagapolu.

In the third set, Webber led by as much as nine points (23-14) before a huge 9-0 Bulldog run tied it at 23 points apiece. The Warriors then got to set-point three times, twice on kills by Bowen and once on a kill by Salanoa-Sagapolu, but could not finish off the sweep.

Dishing the passes out to the hitters was newcomer Valerie Vargas, who recorded 38 assists.

In addition to Bowen's 10 digs, Hannah Tannone set the pace with 21 digs followed by Teryn Mills with nine and Vargas and Mekenzie Breuklander each with seven.

Also interestingly, the Warriors out-aced TWC 13-4 with Julia Ferraro (3), Mills (2), Bowen (2) and Vargas (2) combining for nine aces.

Webber also recorded seven aces against both Brewton-Parker and Brenau while limiting both teams to only two aces. Nayrelis Pantoja Santos recorded three of those aces against Brenau and two against Brewton-Parker.

Also against Brewton-Parker, Pantoja Santos earned 15 digs while Bowen and Salanoa-Sagapolu each added 10 kills.

Pantoja Santos, a transfer junior from the College of Central Florida, then added another 15 digs in the finale against Brenau as Webber saw two other Warriors, Bowen and Breuklander, finish with 11 digs. Additionally, Cameron Neely stood out with a match-high 13 kills and a whopping .722 attack percentage against the Golden Tigers.

Webber will return to action in one week for more tournament action as the Warriors head to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the Big Easy Blastoff, hosted by Xavier University of Louisiana. In addition to the hosts of the tournament, Webber will also square off against Martin Methodist College, Wiley College and the University of Mobile, a squad the Warriors should be familiar with.

In 2017, Webber defeated Martin Methodist 3-0 at the Southeastern Challenge; and against Mobile, after defeating the Rams 3-1 at the Faulkner Invitational two seasons ago, the Warriors have since dropped two other 3-1 decisions to Mobile, including during the 2016 NAIA National Championship Opening Round.