SWANNANOA, N.C. — Warren Wilson College erased a two-set deficit and completed a dramatic comeback Saturday, defeating Regent University in five sets at DeVries Athletic Center to begin conference play. After dropping the opening two sets, 25-19 and 25-13, the Owls responded by winning the next three, 25-18, 25-22 and 15-13, to secure the 3-2 victory.

The comeback began in the third set. Warren Wilson hit .214 with 14 kills and only five attack errors. Josie McCoy led the charge with seven kills on 15 attempts without an error, hitting .467 in the set. The Owls broke open a 16-16 tie with a 7-0 run to take control before closing out the 25-18 win.

The fourth set featured 17 ties and nine lead changes. Warren Wilson trailed 21-19 before scoring five consecutive points, highlighted by an Akeela Cunningham service ace, a kill from Kiera Littlejohn and a kill by Pandora Keele. Regent briefly stopped the run, but the Owls finished the set 25-22 to force a decisive fifth.
Warren Wilson completed the comeback with a 15-13 victory in the fifth set.

Cunningham paced the Owls offensively with a match-high 19 kills while adding 20 digs and two service aces. Keele delivered 12 kills, 10 digs, three solo blocks and two block assists, while McCoy finished with 13 kills and 18 digs, hitting a team-best .233 among Warren Wilson players with at least 10 attempts.

Setter Aria Parish directed the offense with 34 assists, five kills, 16 digs and three service aces. Libero Kylee Egidi anchored the back row with a match-high 31 digs, while Littlejohn contributed three block assists and a solo block.