BELMONT, N.C. – Three Bobcats posted double-digit kills, led by
Caitlyn Smirne with 13, while
Lauren Xayavong tallied the most digs in a match since 2018 with a career-high and game-high 41 digs, as the Lees-McRae women's volleyball team rallied past host Belmont Abbey in a five-set thriller to start 2-0 for the first time since 2009.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae def. Belmont Abbey, 3-2 (21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 33-31, 17-15)
LOCATION: Wheeler Center – Belmont, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (2-0), Belmont Abbey (0-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Smirne also finished with 16 digs and a pair of service aces.
- Alivia Larson chipped in 10 kills, while Natasha Colon Moreno tallied 10 kills and 14 digs.
- Carlee Allbaugh added 40 assists and 14 digs.
- Olivia Ney finished with seven kills.
- Both teams matched each other point-for-point in the opening set, until a late 14-7 run gave the Crusaders a 25-21 win in set one.
- Belmont Abbey used a 9-4 to clinch the second frame, while the Bobcats used a late 6-2 run and a final kill by Allbaugh to claim the third set, 25-23.
- The Crusaders and Bobcats battled in the thrilling fourth stanza, accounting for 64 total points, with Lees-McRae claiming the set on back-to-back attacking errors by Belmont Abbey.
- The Bobcats finished off the rally by claiming a 17-15 win in the fifth set, thanks to six combined kills from Smirne, Ney and Moreno.
- Both teams accounted for 112 kills, 231 digs and 107 assists in the conference contest.
FOR THE FOES:
- Cameron Young finished with a game-high 19 kills and 10 digs.
- Paige Rawlins chipped in a game-high 46 assists and 32 digs, while Hailey Ryan finished with 39 digs.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae hosts Barton in the Williams Gymnasium on Friday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m.
