Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- Reigning AVCA National
Player of the Week Chad Mercado (Orlando, Fla.) posted 38 kills and
a .304 hitting percentage to lead the Lees-McRae College men's
volleyball team to a pair of victories over Limestone College and
Philadelphia Biblical University on Monday night to extend the
Bobcats' winning streak to five matches.
Lees-McRae (13-7, 3-1 Conference Carolinas) edged Limestone
(10-7, 1-4 CC) in a five-set thriller, winning the match by scores
of 25-16, 19-25, 25-22, 19-25, and 15-13, before sweeping
Philadelphia Biblical (20-7) by scores of 25-21, 25-13, and 25-18.
The Bobcats posted a combined hitting percentage of .281 on the
night, including a .360 clip against the Crimson Eagles, while
tallying 15 total blocks.
Match One: Lees-McRae 3, Limestone 2 (25-16, 19-25, 25-22,
19-25, 15-13) - (Box
Score)
Mercado opened the evening with 25 kills against the Saints,
while fellow senior Juan Ramirez (Miami, Fla.) posted 44 assists.
Matt Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 11 kills and four blocks,
while Edmund Walkley (Glenbrook, Australia) chipped in nine kills.
Mercado and libero Efrain Negron (Orlando, Fla.) each tallied nine
digs, as Mercado equaled Harpenau's total of four blocks.
Scott Schweihofer (Marysville, Mich.) paced the Saints with 16
kills on 31 swings, as Kevin Hart (Menifee, Calif.) added 14 kills
and Derek Daley (Reading, Pa.) posted a match-high seven blocks.
Josh Slone (Lafayette, Colo.) and Danny Gruszczyk (Orlando, Fla.)
chipped match-highs of 46 assists and 13 digs, respectively, while
Hart added 10 digs to post a double-double.
The first set proved to be a tightly contested affair early,
before Lees-McRae claimed a 16-9 lead following a block by Mercado
and Harpenau to cap a 4-0 run. The Bobcats held the advantage for
the remainder of the frame, closing out the 25-16 first-set win
with a 3-0 spurt that was capped by a John Lucas (Cincinnati, Ohio)
service ace.
The Saints answered in the second set, taking an early 12-9 lead
on a Bobcat miscue. The Bobcats responded with a 5-2 run, evening
the score at 14-14 on back-to-back Limestone attack errors.
Limestone regained control with an 8-1 run, taking a 22-15 lead on
a Schweihofer kill. The Saints would wrap up the set on a Bobcat
miscue following a 3-0 spurt by LMC that cut the lead to 23-19.
Limestone carried the momentum into the third set, taking an
early 11-8 lead on a Hart kill before Lees-McRae responded, evening
the score at 15-15 with a Harpenau kill to cap 7-4 run. Then, with
the score knotted at 19-19, the Bobcats closed out the set with a
6-3 run to take a 2-1 advantage in the match on a Mercado kill.
The Saints answered in the fourth, taking a 16-12 lead on a
Daley kill before closing out the set on a Hart spike that capped a
6-2 run and evened the match tally at 2-2. Lees-McRae responded
once again in the fifth, taking an early 7-5 lead with a 3-0 spurt
that was capped by a Harpenau kill. Limestone would fight back,
claiming an 11-9 advantage on an Andrew Miller (Miami, Fla.) kill
before Lees-McRae responded, closing out the set and the match with
a 6-2 run that was capped by an emphatic kill from Mercado.
Match Two: Lees-McRae 3, Philadelphia Biblical 0 (25-21,
25-13, 25-18) - (Box
Score)
Mercado added to his night with a match-high 13 kills against
the Crimson Eagles, posting a .500 hitting percentage as Lucas and
Harpenau each tallied seven kills. Randy Ramirez (Guaynabo, Puerto
Rico) also tallied a match-high 31 assists, as Mercado and Eduardo
Gonzales (San Juan, Puerto Rico) each posted two aces. Justin
Brubaker (Telford, Pa.) paced the Crimson Eagles with 10 kills,
while Noah Prickett (Yardley, Pa.) added seven kills and Drew
Dillon (Mount Joy, Pa.) chipped in 13 assists.
The Bobcats stormed out to an early 10-3 lead in the first set,
claiming the advantage on a PBU attack error before the Crimson
Eagles answered with a 4-1 spurt to cut the margin to 11-7.
Lees-McRae responded with a 10-8 run, taking a 21-15 lead on
back-to-back kills by Lucas and Mercado before closing out the
25-16 first-set victory on a Mercado spike.
Lees-McRae carried the momentum into the second set, opening an
early 9-5 lead on a block by Harpenau and Randy Ramirez. After PBU
trimmed the margin to 11-8 with a 3-2 spurt, the Bobcats countered
with a 13-3 run to claim a 24-11 advantage following a string of
seven straight points. Mercado then closed out the frame with a
kill after PBU took advantage of a pair of Bobcat miscues.
Philadelphia Biblical battled back early in the third, trimming
the margin to 9-7 on a Brubaker kill before Lees-McRae responded,
pushing the lead to 18-11 on back-to-back kills by Lucas and
Harpenau. The Bobcats then closed out the straight-set sweep with a
6-3 spurt that was capped by a Mercado kill following a 4-1 run by
the Crimson Eagles.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Saturday when the Bobcats
host Pfeiffer University to resume their conference slate. First
serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. following the conclusion of the
Bobcats' senior day festivities.
- LMC -
