Box Score
CENTRAL, S.C. – The Belhaven Volleyball team was unable to hold a two set lead over host Southern Wesleyan and eventually succumbed to a tough Warriors squad in five sets Friday night in Southern States Athletic Conference play. Southern Wesleyan started out slow, but beat the Blazers on crucial points to get the win in a hotly contested match.

Coming into the contest, this matchup looked like the most even talent wise that the Blazers have had all season. Southern Wesleyan (16-8) started the day only a game behind Belhaven (17-5) in the SSAC standings, which was good for fourth place in conference. They also had been on a four game win-streak and looked poised to continue that on their home court.

Belhaven had other plans. The Blazers have been trying to find themselves over the past two weeks, but they looked like a confident team at the start to take a 2-0 lead.

Neither set victory was an easy one for the Blazers, but they handled the tough competition well to put the pressure on the home team. Taylor Williams, Natalie Davis and Samantha O'Malley all posted big numbers in the first two sets on their way to double digit kills.

The third set has been a bit of an enigma for the Blazers squad when facing tougher competition. They've found success early, but haven't been able to close out teams quite as well.

The Warriors clawed their way to a 24-24 tie in the third set and Belhaven only needed two points in a row to go home with a very important road victory. Unfortunately the Warriors gutted out the next two points to record their first set victory on the night that put a little bit of momentum in their favor.

The fourth set was as closely contested as the first three, but once again Southern Wesleyan found ways to stay in the match and won the tying set 25-21.

In the fifth set, the two teams found themselves tied near the end of the set. At 16-16, one team needed to win two points in a row once again to claim the victory. Southern Wesleyan completed the stunning comeback by taking two quick points for an 18-16 final set win.

Despite the loss, Belhaven is in a good spot as conference competition starts to draw to a close. The Blazers have had one of their most successful seasons to date and have the talent to make a long run in the conference tourney. The adversity they face, while frustrating, is a good lesson to learn during the regular season rather than during a playoff run.

Erin Bradley had 49 assists in the losing effort and also contributed 14 digs for the lone double-double on the night.

Williams finished with another 20 kill performance, her third such performance in 2012. Davis (16 kills) and O'Malley (11 kills) were the other two Blazers to contribute double digit kills.

Gabriella Zorzoli led Belhaven in digs for the third match in a row with 20 on the night. It was Zorzoli's seventh match of the season with at least 20 digs.

The Blazers also had a very good night on the defensive side of the net, collecting 13 blocks over the five sets. The total was good enough for their fifth highest on the year.

Belhaven won't have much time to dwell on the loss when they travel to take on Emmanuel College who currently sits in fifth place in the SSAC standings.

The contest will be another big test for the Blazers in preparation for a postseason run. The first serve is slated for 1:00 PM.