Salem College Beats Methodist 3-0 in Volleyball Match

The Methodist University volleyball team’s 2026 season came to an end on Tuesday evening at Salem College, as the Monarchs fell 3–0 inside Varsity Gym.

The final scores stood at 25-21, 25-11, and 25-16 in favor of Salem. The defeat leaves Methodist with a final record of 13–15, while Salem advances to 24–6 on the year.

Salem jumped out to an early 10–5 lead in the opening set. Methodist narrowed the margin to 11–9 following successful attacks by freshman Meghan Holzinger, senior Savannah Hovander, and sophomore Addison Johnson.

Additional kills by Johnson and sophomore Grace Tillery, alongside a block from Tillery and junior Kassidy Edge, brought the Monarchs even at 13–13. Salem responded by winning four of the next five points to regain control, ultimately taking the first set 25–21.

Salem vs Methodist College Womens Volleyball 2026 — USA College Volleyball3

Salem controlled the second set, building a 15–3 advantage before the technical timeout. Following the break, Methodist generated an 8–4 scoring surge sparked by two kills from Tillery and three from Johnson, bringing the deficit down to 19–11. The home team then closed the set with six consecutive points for a 25–11 win.

Hovander opened the third set with two kills and a block to give Methodist a 3–0 lead. The next stretch saw Salem score five points in a row prior to a phase of the set where both sides exchanged points back and forth. Kills from Johnson and Edge kept the Monarchs within reach, but a series of attack errors allowed Salem to build a 19–12 advantage.

Methodist capitalized on a pair of Salem errors and added kills from Johnson and sophomore Payten Bracey to trim the gap. Salem maintained its advantage, however, and closed out the set 25–16 to secure the 3–0 match victory.

Johnson led the Methodist offense with 11 kills, followed by Hovander with seven. Edge and Tillery each added five kills.

Freshman Harper Evans directed the Monarchs’ offense with a team-high 27 assists. Defensively, Edge paced Methodist with seven digs, while Evans and Johnson each contributed six.