Box score
BELMONT, N.C. --- Senior Megan Epperson (St.
John, Ind.) recorded a match-high 12 kills and six digs to become
the program's all-time leader in digs, and lead the Lees-McRae
College women's volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Belmont Abbey
College on Wednesday night to clinch the school's 13th Conference
Carolinas regular season championship.
Lees-McRae (23-8, 17-0 CC) won the match by scores of 25-23,
25-19, 18-25, and 25-22, holding Belmont Abbey (17-14, 9-8 CC) to a
.157 hitting percentage while extending its conference winning
streak to 48 straight matches. The Bobcats posted a .173 hitting
percentage on the night, while recording 14 service aces and seven
blocks. Belmont Abbey notched 10 blocks and five service aces.
Epperson paced the Bobcats with 12 kills, while recording six
digs to become the program's all-time leader with 1,191 career
savers. Megan Mitchell (Minden, Nev.), Jessica Singewald (Port St.
Lucie, Fla.), and Lauren Fox (Garland, Texas) each tallied seven
kills, while Taylor Clendenin (Statesville, N.C.) and Kallai
Johnston (Statesville, N.C.) both notched six smashes.
Mitchell posted 33 assists and six digs, while Clendenin chipped
in six savers and a match-high six service aces. Sariah Suryadevara
(Cincinnati, Ohio) posted a match-high 16 digs, while Taylor
Pritchett (Apex, N.C.) added six savers. Clendenin also chipped in
a team-best three blocks.
Angela Jubb led the way for Belmont Abbey with 11 kills and
eight digs, while Stefanie Holler added 10 smashes and four blocks.
Bria James chipped in a team-high 13 digs to go along with eight
kills, while Lydia Schellenberg added 11 savers and six smashes.
Victoria Jensen posted a match-high five blocks, while Holler added
four stuffs. Kay Schellenberg chipped in a match-high 34 assists to
go along with three blocks.
The first set proved to be a tightly contested affair, with
neither team claiming more than a four-point advantage for the
duration of the frame. Belmont Abbey rallying from a 14-11 deficit
to take a 16-15 lead on a Jubb kill before the Bobcats responded,
claiming a 22-18 advantage on a Clendenin service ace to cap a 7-2
run. After the Abbey cut the lead to 24-23 on a Bobcat miscue,
before Singewald closed out the set with a kill.
Belmont Abbey responded early in the second set, taking an early
11-5 lead on a James kill before the Bobcats countered with a 10-3
run, claiming a 15-14 advantage on an Epperson ace. Then, with the
score level at 18-18, the Bobcats closed out the set with a 7-1 run
to claim a 2-0 lead in the match on a Singewald kill.
The Abbey answered in the third set, opening a 15-11 lead on a
kill by Lydia Schellenberg before closing out the frame with a 10-7
spurt which was capped by a Holler smash. Lees-McRae battled its
way through the fourth set, taking a 21-18 lead on a Clendenin ace
before Belmont Abbey answered with a 4-0 run to claim a narrow
22-21 advantage. The Bobcats responded once again, tallying four
straight points to close out the set and the match on an Abbey
miscue.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Saturday when the Bobcats
host Limestone College to close out their conference and regular
season schedule. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. in Williams
Gymnasium following the Bobcats' senior day festivities.
- LMC -
