BRISTOL, TENN. – Lees-McRae men's volleyball went 2-0 in a season against King (Tenn.) for the first time since 2012 with the 3-1 victory in Conference Carolinas play this evening. The Bobcats also picked up another pivotal point in the 2022-23 edition of the "Battle for the Blue Ridge Cup".
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae def. King (Tenn.), 3-1 (25-18,14-25, 25-21, 25-23)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex – Bristol, Tennessee
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (11-14/7-7), King (13-15/8-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Michael Mardans paced the Bobcats with 11 kills and added four digs, one service ace, and one block. M.J. Doyle followed with 10 kills, six digs, and three blocks on the night.
- Bradley Peters dished out 37 assists in the contest along with three kills, five total blocks, and six digs.
- Ace Backer contributed nine kills on a .900 hitting percentage and collected six digs and four blocks.
- As a team, Lees-McRae had a hitting percentage of .183 and tallied 41 kills to King's hitting percentage of .203.
- Lees-McRae stormed out to a one-set lead after seven consecutive points early in the set at 12-7. Austin Beaird finished the opening set at 25-18 with a kill.
- King evened the match at one set apiece with a 25-14 victory in the second set after hitting .286 to the Bobcats' -.156.
- In the third set, Lees-McRae took a commanding 19-13 set lead after a service ace via Backer. Sebastian Heer recorded the third set off a Peters assist.
- The fourth set went back-and-forth through the middle stages with King leading 16-14 after kills by Gannon Chinen and Jackson Carroll. Lees-McRae regained the lead at 21-20 after a solo block by Heer and staked out the three-point advantage off a kill by Beaird. Backer sent home the match point at 25-23 as the Bobcats registered the fourth set victory on King's home court.
FOR THE TORNADO:
- Warren Davis accumulated 22 kills on a .390 hitting percentage and Kellan Kennedy joined him in double figures with 10 kills along with four blocks.
NOTEWORTHY:
- The Bobcats earned their second victory over King this evening and now hold the 12-6 advantage in the "Battle for the Blue Ridge Cup" standings for the 2022-23 academic year.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae men's volleyball finished the regular season with their most wins since 2014 and will head into the Conference Carolinas Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Bobcats will face No. 4 Belmont Abbey on Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. in Belmont, North Carolina.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
