BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The Lees-McRae women's volleyball team played stingy defense and three players registered at least eight kills in a 21-25, 25-12, 25-18, 25-15, win against Mount Olive in a Conference Carolinas battle Friday evening at Williams Gymnasium in Banner Elk, N.C.
The Bobcats (12-7, 7-3 CC) won for the fourth time in their last five matches while maintaining a ½ game lead over Belmont Abbey in the North Division. The Trojans (5-16, 2-7) struggled offensively while hitting -.043 and -.103 in the second and fourth set, respectively.
Junior Jariliz Cotté (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) paced both teams with 11 kills while junior Allyson Schillinger (20) (Spring Hill, Fla.) and freshman Courtney Weathersbee (10) (Raleigh, N.C.) notched double-digit assists.
LMC found itself in a 16-12 hole following a Britni Johnson kill, but rallied behind a kill from junior Jordan Banta (Virginia Beach, Va.) and an ace from Taylor Hicks (Blountville, Tenn.) cut the deficit to one.
The Bobcats methodically took the momentum and after a pair of Cotté kills gave coach Dave Schmidlin's team a 20-19 lead.
UMO struck for a 6-1 run to cap off the opening set, fueled by two kills each from Johnson and Dezirae Mackey.
LMC responded with a boom in the second set by ripping off a 10-0 run to take a 19-9 lead.
The Trojans committed five attack errors and freshman Siarra Walker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Cotté recorded block assists during the stretch.
Walker and Banta accumulated a trio kills while LMC cruised to a second-set win and hit a match-best .348.
Sophomore Avalon Liscio (Naples, Fla.) got in the mix with one of her nine kills to give the home squad an 8-5 lead early in the third.
UMO ripped off an 11-6 run to grab a two-point lead.
The lead was short lived when LMC finished the set on an 11-2 run, sparked by impressive play from Schillinger.
Schmidlin's group produced a 14-3 run in the final set to enjoy a comfortable 17-9 lead.
Sophomore Haylee Leonard (Winston-Salem, N.C.) chipped in two kills and Liscio delivered the match-ender while LMC amassed 11 kills in the set.
Walker racked up three block assists while eight Bobcats had at least four digs.
LMC has a quick turnaround and hosts Barton Saturday at 2 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium.
- LMC -
