Box score
WILSON, N.C. --- The Lees-McRae College men's
volleyball team opened the Conference Carolinas season in
dominating fashion on Sunday afternoon, sweeping Barton College
while posting a blistering .438 hitting percentage.
Lees-McRae (3-3, 1-0 CC) won the match by scores of 25-19,
25-15, and 25-15, posting its second straight victory while
recording 40 kills, 12 service aces and a hitting percentage of
.438. The Bobcats held Barton (0-7, 0-4 CC) to a .152 clip on the
attack, as each team posted six blocks.
Joshua Jones (Christmas, Fla.) was a perfect 9-for-9 on the
attack to pace the Bobcats, while Matt Harpenau (Cincinnati, Ohio)
and Edmund Walkley (Glenbrook, Australia) added six and five
smashes, respectively. Randy Ramirez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico)
chipped in five kills and match-highs of 31 assists and three
blocks, as Chris Flood (Louisville, Ky.) and Jose Ribas (Guaynabo,
Puerto Rico) each posted a contest-best four service aces.
Zach McCalla led the way for Barton with six kills, as Alx
Draughan and T.J. Daley each added four smashes. Jordan Robison
chipped in 15 assists, as Tyler Malpass and Tanner Medina each
posted a match-high three blocks.
Barton kicked off the match with a strong 8-4 run, capping the
spurt with a kill by McCalla before the Bobcats responded with a
15-8 surge, claiming a 19-16 lead on a Ribas service ace. The
Bobcats would close out the frame with a 6-2 spurt, taking the set
by a score of 25-19 on an ace by Flood.
Lees-McRae carried the momentum into the second set, surging out
to an early 10-2 lead on three-straight aces by Ribas. The Bobcats
would push the margin to 19-7 with a 9-5 run before Barton answered
with a 5-2 spurt to close the gap to 21-12. After the Bobcats
widened the lead to 24-13, Barton fought off a pair of set points
before Lees-McRae claimed the set on a Bulldog miscue.
The Bobcats opened the third set with a 9-3 surge, claiming an
early six-point lead before pushing the margin to 18-9 with a 9-6
run, which was capped by a Walkley kill. After Barton trimmed the
margin to 22-14 with a 5-4 spurt, Lees-McRae closed out the set and
the match on a kill by Jones to cap the 25-15 third-frame win.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Friday, February 10 when the
Bobcats travel to Springfield, Mass. to take on California Baptist
University at the 2012 Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic.
- LMC -
