SEWANEE, TN. – Transylvania earned its first victory of the 2026 season Friday afternoon, defeating North Park University in four sets, 25-22, 12-25, 25-16, 25-22, at Juhan Gymnasium. The Pioneers improved to 1-1 on the season, while North Park fell to 0-2.
Transylvania opened the match with a 25-22 victory in a tightly contested first set. North Park responded in the second, taking the frame 25-12 to even the match at one set apiece. The Pioneers answered in the third with one of their strongest offensive stretches of the day. Transylvania recorded 11 kills while hitting .192 on its way to a 25-16 victory and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Transylvania saved its best offensive performance for the fourth set, recording 15 kills and hitting .205. The Pioneers closed out North Park 25-22 to secure the four-set victory and their first win of the season.
Addie Atcher led the Transylvania attack with a match-high 13 kills, adding four digs, one solo block and one block assist. Payton Avilez added seven kills, while Cecelia Roberts and Peyton Mast each recorded six. Chloe Jensen finished with five kills on 12 attempts and a team-best .333 hitting percentage. Erin Thomas led the Pioneers with 17 assists and added five digs and a service ace, while Addison Davis recorded 15 assists and eight digs. Julia Brown led Transylvania with 12 digs and added two service aces.
The Pioneers also produced 10 service aces in the victory, led by Megan Helander with three. Reece Houston and Brown each added two, while Roberts, Thomas and Soleil Sabin recorded one apiece. Transylvania finished with two solo blocks and 10 block assists.
Transylvania finishes the opening day of the Sewanee Invitational with a 1-1 record. The Pioneers return to action Saturday with a pair of matches, taking on the University of Lynchburg at noon before closing the weekend against host Sewanee at 2 p.m.
Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.
