CHARLOTTE, N.C. –
Natasha Colon Moreno finished with a combined 11 kills, while
Lauren Xayavong chipped in a combined 40 digs, but it was not enough as the Lees-McRae women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to both Wingate and Lander at the Queens (N.C.) tournament to open the 2021 season.
GAME 1 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Wingate def. Lees-McRae, 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-14)
LOCATION: Levine Center – Charlotte, North Carolina
RECORDS: Wingate (1-0), Lees-McRae (0-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Moreno and Kaden Hill each tallied four kills to pace the Bobcats in the opening game of the day.
- Carlee Allbaugh chipped in 13 set assists, while Xayavong finished with a game-high 18 digs.
- Wingate sprinted out of the gates in the opening set, claiming 18 of the first 25 points, and tallied a final service ace to clinch a 25-14 win in the first frame.
- Lees-McRae batted throughout the second set, using a block by Hill and Olivia Ney, to trim the deficit to 14-13, but a final 11-4 run by the Bulldogs proved to be the difference as Wingate won the second set, 25-17.
- Wingate posted the non-conference victory with a 25-14 edge in the final frame.
- Both teams finished with four total blocks, while the Bulldogs held a 53-16 advantage in kills.
FOR THE FOES:
- Maggie Young and Sophie Scharff finished with 13 and 10 kills respectively to lead Wingate.
GAME 2 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lander def. Lees-McRae, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-23)
LOCATION: Levine Center – Charlotte, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lander (1-0), Lees-McRae (0-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Moreno paced the Bobcats in the later game with a team-high seven kills to go along with 10 digs, while Xayavong chipped in a game-high 22 digs.
- Allbaugh posted her first double-double of the 2021 season with 15 set assists and 12 digs.
- Both teams traded runs for the majority of the first set, until the Bearcats closed the set on a 8-1 run to claim a 25-16 win in set one.
- Lander used a pair of 4-0 runs in the second set to steal momentum and overcame a late Bobcat rally to win the second frame, 25-18.
- The third set proved to be the most highly contested as Lander held a 24-20 lead, but Lees-McRae used a pair of attacking errors by the Bearcats and an ace by Allbaugh to trim the deficit to 24-23.
- Lander used one final kill to hold on for the non-conference victory.
FOR THE FOES:
- Christina Aguayo finished with a game-high 24 kills to lead Lander.
- Madilyn Reed and Patricia Pantoja tallied 32 set assists and 20 digs respectively.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will close out the opening-weekend tournament tomorrow as they compete against Elizabeth City State at 10 a.m. and host Queens at 2:30 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
