AIKEN, S.C. --- Freshman Madison Martin amassed 32 digs in two matches while the Lees-McRae women's volleyball team downed Francis Marion, 3-1, before dropping a 3-0 decision to Anderson (S.C.) at the USC-Aiken Invitational at the Convocation Center Saturday in Aiken, S.C.
Lees-McRae 3, Francis Marion 1
The Bobcats (4-4) impressed offensively by hitting .250 or better in three of the four sets. The Patriots (2-5) enjoyed an outstanding 27-kill effort from Alexzandra Reed.
LMC led wire-to-wire in the opening set, sparked by an 11-4 run to open play. Junior Jordan Banta (Virginia Beach, Va.) and freshman Siarra Walker (Winston-Salem, N.C.) stuffed a Meagan Fajman shot to cap off the run.
FMU rallied back with a 5-0 run and would close the gap to two, 18-16, following a Jessica Amador ace.
The Bobcats used a kill from a quartet of players to conclude the first set, 25-20.
Junior Jariliz Cotté (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) fueled a 6-1 run that put coach Dave Schmidlin's squad up 16-10 in the second, but FMU charged back with a 15-7 run to hold LMC to a match-low -.027 clip and to squeak out a 25-23 second set win.
Banta and sophomore Avalon Liscio (Naples, Fla.) combined for a trio of kills to give the Bobcats an early 12-5 advantage in the third.
The Patriots' Reed went on a tear with five kills to shave the deficit to one, 12-11.
An additional kill by Reed knotted action at 17, but LMC caught fire and wrapped the set up with an 8-0 run, thanks to solid defense and a Haylee Leonard (Winston-Salem, N.C.) kill.
The final set saw nine ties, but the Bobcats took the finale 25-21 after aces from Hicks and Martin (Goldsboro, N.C.)
Martin led both teams with 23 digs while Allyson Schillinger (Spring Hill, Fla.) dished out a match-high 36 assists.
Anderson (S.C.) 3, Lees-McRae 0
The Trojans (6-1) produced a solid effort offensively by hitting better than .290 in all three sets.
AU's Alix Hooker dug 22 balls while LMC's Schillinger registered 25 assists.
The Trojans' Shannon Gillespie connected on three consecutive kills to spark a 15-4 run to open the first set.
Liscio blasted two kills, but the deficit was too large while AU cruised to a 25-14 win.
Tied at nine in the second set, the Trojans produced an 11-4 run that proved detrimental to the Bobcats, who dropped the second set 25-19.
A Walker kill inched LMC within four, 21-17, in the final set, but the Bobcats dropped it, 25-20, despite hitting a team-best .161.
LMC opens its home portion of the season when it welcomes Pfeiffer in a Conference Carolinas bout Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in Banner Elk, N.C.
- LMC -
