Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The Lees-McRae College
volleyball team (0-2) opened the season with two losses on Friday
as the Lady Bobcats fell to USC Aiken, 3-2, and Wingate, 3-0, in
day one of the Lees-McRae Carolinas Challenge.
Game One - USC Aiken 3, Lees McRae 2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-19,
22-25, 15-12)
After falling behind 1-0 after the first set, LMC put together
rallies of six and four points to take the second frame and tie the
match.
The Lady Bobcats found themselves down 2-1 after the third set,
but battled back to force the deciding set, winning the fourth
frame 25-22.
In the fifth set, Lees-McRae fell behind 5-1 early. The Lady
Bobcats managed to tighten the score to 10-9 after the switch, but
that's as close as they would get. USCA reeled off five of the next
eight points to seal the victory.
USC Aiken was led by Shannon Byers (Morristown, Minn.), who
paced all attackers with 16 kills and added nine digs. Megan Disney
(Knoxville, Tenn.) had nine kills and added nine blocks as well.
Ashley Farwell (Wake Forest, N.C.) had 23 assists, and Samantha
Lukralle (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) led all players with 14 digs.
Lees-McRae had two players to register double-digit kills as
Whitney Justice (Connelly Springs, N.C.) posted 15, while Megan
Epperson (St. John, Ind.) had 12 kills and added 14 digs for the
contest's only double-double. Megan Mitchell (Minden, Nev.) dished
out 40 assists.
Game Two - Wingate 3, Lees-McRae 0 (25-20, 25-21,
25-9)
Wingate got out to a 10-5 lead in the first set and held on as
the Lady Bobcats closed to the gap to 19-16, as the Bulldogs went
on to take the first frame 25-20.
In the second stanza, Lees-McRae found themselves down 23-12
before reeling off nine straight points, narrowing the margin to
23-21 before Wingate scored the final two points of the set to win
25-21.
Wingate took control of the third set early, and never looked
back as they rolled to a 25-9 win to take the match.
The Bulldogs were led by Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Grace
Kauser (Louisville, Ky.) and Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) as they
tallied eight kills each. Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 21 assists
while Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) posted 11 assists and 11 digs
for a double-double.
Epperson had nine kills for the Bobcats and Taylor Clendenin
(Statesville, N.C.) posted six of her own to go along with a
match-high 17 digs. Mitchell tallied a double-double with 23
assists and 13 digs.
The Lady Bobcats will complete the Lees-McRae Carolinas
Challenge on Saturday as they will face Palm Beach Atlantic at 1:00
p.m., before taking on Flagler at 5:30 p.m. in the final match of
the tournament.
-LMC -
