Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- Chad Mercado (Orlando,
Fla.) tallied a match-high 16 kills to lead the Lees-McRae College
men's volleyball team to a straight-set sweep of King College
(Tenn.) on Tuesday night in Conference Carolinas play.
Lees-McRae (5-6, 1-1 CC) defeated King (4-4, 1-2 CC) by scores
of 25-18, 25-18, and 25-18 en route to its first conference victory
of the season. The Bobcats posted a sterling .361 hitting
percentage on the night, including a blistering .522 clip in the
second set, while recording seven blocks and holding King to a .079
percentage on the attack.
Mercado posted double-digit kills for the 11th time this season,
recording 16 kills, four errors, and a .522 hitting percentage on
23 swings. Randy Ramirez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) tallied a
match-high 35 assists, as John Lucas (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Matt
Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio) each posted a contest-best three
blocks. Lucas and Chris Flood (Louisville, Ky.) recorded seven and
six kills, respectively, as freshman libero Efrain Negron (Orlando,
Fla.) notched a match-high six digs.
Alex Oliveria (Goiania, Brazil) paced the Tornado with six kills
on eight swings, while James Friddle (Cartersville, Ga.) chipped in
five kills. Jeff Bosslett (St. Louis, Mo.) notched 21 assists for
King as Friddle posted a team-high three blocks.
Neither team gained a significant advantage in the first set
until, Lees-McRae holding a narrow 8-7 lead, the Bobcats launched a
9-2 run to take a 17-9 lead on a Flood service ace. King fought
back, cutting the lead to 19-14 with a 5-2 spurt before the Bobcats
closed out the set with a 6-4 run.
Lees-McRae carried the momentum into the second set, opening an
early 5-0 lead after a trio of Flood kills. The Bobcats would hold
the advantage for the remainder of the set, taking a 16-9 lead on a
Mercado kill before closing out the frame on a pair of kills from
the senior opposite.
King stayed within striking distance early in the third set,
evening the score at 8-8 on a kill by Stephen Brown (Lawrenceville,
Ga.) before the Bobcats responded, launching a 7-1 run to open a
15-9 advantage following a kill by Sam Sheers (Centerville, Ohio).
The Tornado fought back once again, cutting the margin to 17-15 on
a Bobcat service error before Lees-McRae regained control, closing
out the win with an 8-3 run which was capped by a Mercado kill.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 16 when the
Bobcats travel to Gaffney, S.C. to take on Limestone College to
continue their conference schedule. First serve is slated for 7
p.m.
- LMC -
