BANNER ELK, N.C. –
Sydney Stigler posted her fourth match on the season with 20 or more kills as Lees-McRae women's volleyball recorded the three-set victory over Converse in the second round of the Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship. The postseason victory for the Bobcats is the first since 2014 when Lees-McRae played in the semifinal round against Erskine.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 6
Lees-McRae def. No. 7 Converse, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 27-25)
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court
– Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (15-10/11-5); Converse (10-20/8-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Stigler led an impressive Bobcat attack on the day with 20 kills on .372 hitting percentage and added nine digs, two assists, and one block in the match. Nicole Osborne narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and 11 kills on the afternoon.
- Madison Goins distributed 31 assists on the afternoon and is now 20 assists away from 1,000 season assists. Goins also had five digs, one kill, and two service aces in the win. Lauren Xayavong tallied 10 digs, two assists, and two aces for the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon.
- Rebecca Ryan followed Osborne and Stigler with five kills on an efficient .400 hitting percentage and Destiny Holley four kills in the contest.
- Lees-McRae powered past Converse with .216 hitting percentage and held the Valkyries to .177 attack percentage with 32 total kills in the three sets.
- The Bobcats settled down in the first set after Converse jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Patrycja Rykala and Holley combined for a double block and Rykala tallied kill to give Lees-McRae the 13-10 advantage. Converse held a set point at 24-23, but Stigler earned a kill at 24-24. Xayavong tallied a clutch ace at 26-24 to give Lees-McRae the set lead.
- In the middle of the second set, the Bobcats staked out to an 11-6 lead after rattling off six consecutive points. Lees-McRae went on a 4-0 run to collect the 23-13 advantage and Stigler guided the Bobcats to another set victory at 25-17.
- The Bobcats used an early 5-0 run at 7-6 to gain the lead, but Converse matched Lees-McRae point for point throughout the third set. Ryan regained the lead for the Bobcats at 23-22 with a kill and gave Lees-McRae match point at 24-23 with her fifth kill on the day. Converse sent the match into extra points, but the Bobcats got the momentum back on their side with three straight points to close out the set and match.
FOR THE VALKYRIES:
- Converse advanced to the second round against the Bobcats after notching the three-set win against Belmont Abbey on Saturday afternoon in Banner Elk.
- Evelyn Fitz led the Valkyries with 14 kills in three sets against Lees-McRae and Madison Gregory dished out 16 assists in the contest. Mackenzie Day had 16 digs and five assists on the day.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae women's volleyball will battle No. 3 Emmanuel in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship in North Charleston, South Carolina. The first serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the North Charleston Athletic Center.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
