BANNER ELK, N.C. – The Lees-McRae College women's volleyball team won on Friday night at home in five sets (23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 15-11) in Banner Elk.
First Set – The Bobcats and Crusaders went back and forth in the opening frame and were tied up at 13 near the midway point. North Greenville would pull away by no more than four points and would again be tied at 23 later in the set. Ultimately, a miscommunication on the final point allowed NGU to win, 25-23.
Second Set – North Greenville came out on top in the second as well but in a completely different fashion. The Bobcats were able to build a 21-16 lead in the later stages of the frame. A combination of errors and excellent play by the Crusaders had them up two sets to none heading into the third.
Third Set – The third set proved to be a turning point as the Bobcats dug deep and built a 19-15 lead. A late push from NGU would not be enough as Lees-McRae began their comeback, winning the set 25-23.
Fourth Set- After winning their first set of the match in the third, the Bobcats came out firing in the fourth, quickly building a 5-2 lead. It would be near the midway point that the set was won as the Bobcats went on a 10 point that NGU could not recover from.
Fifth Set- The Bobcats were met by a late push from North Greenville in the final set. Following a Bobcat timeout, LMC were able to finish off the job, winning the set 15-11.
Stat Standouts – Lees-McRae were led by Abby Wordsworth (12 kills), Kaden Hill (nine kills), and Caitlyn Smirne (nine kills). Megan Gallion (27 assists) and Erica Slinde (13 assists) led the team in assists while Kaitlyn Arentz (25 digs) had a terrific performance as well.
Next Up – The Bobcats will return to action Saturday when they face Southern Wesleyan at home. First serve between the Bobcats and Warriors is set for noon from Williams Gymnasium.
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