BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The Lees-McRae College
women's volleyball team battled to a pair of heartbreaking
decisions on Saturday, falling in three sets to defending regional
runner-up Flagler College before Tusculum College rallied to win
three straight frames en route to a 3-1 win over the Bobcats in the
nightcap.
Match One: Flagler 3, Lees-McRae 0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-17) - Box Score
Flagler (3-0) held the Bobcats (0-4) to a .011 hitting
percentage, posting a .216 mark of its own on the attack and
tallying 10 blocks. Taylor Emilee paced the Saints with 16 kills on
28 swings, posting a .429 hitting percentage. Olivia Snipes notched
a match-high 26 assists, while Emilee, Dianna Craine, and Casey
Gnann each posted a team-best seven digs.
Megan Epperson (St. John, Ind.) paced the Bobcats with nine
kills, while Taylor Clendenin (Statesville, N.C.) chipped in eight
smashes and Megan Mitchell (Minden, Nev.) added 22 assists. Sariah
Suryadevara (Cincinnati, Ohio) also chipped in a match-high 15 digs
for the Bobcats.
Match Two: Tusculum 3, Lees-McRae 1 (16-25, 26-24, 25-23,
25-16) - Box Score
Tusculum overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the Bobcats in
the final match of the day, holding Lees-McRae to a .156 hitting
percentage while recording nine blocks. Brianna Anderson paced the
Pioneers with 14 kills, while Natalie Gaudreau, Sam Underwood, and
Alyssa Raterman each tallied nine smashes. Ashley Sarmiento
accounted for a double-double with 41 assists and 14 digs, while
Caitlyn Dean posted 21 savers to pace the Pioneers.
Epperson led all players with 20 kills, posting a .279 hitting
percentage and nearly accounting for a double-double with nine
digs. Mitchell tallied a match-high 43 assists, while Dana Oliver
recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Suryadevara
also chipped in a match-high 25 digs for the Bobcats.
Lees-McRae returns to the court next Friday when the Bobcats
travel to Greeneville, Tenn. for Tusculum's Fall Classic. The
Bobcats are slated to take on the University of Montevallo at 11
a.m. and Lenoir-Rhyne University at 3 p.m. on the first day of the
Classic in Pioneer Arena.
- LMC -
