WISE, Va. – Lees-McRae women's volleyball continued its strong start to the 2024 season with two four-set victories over Bluefield State and UVA Wise.
Sydney Stigler combined for 26 total kills over the two matches and a double-double in the first match against Bluefield State.
Ella Young had 41 total assists in eight sets and
Brooke Ashkenase had a team-high 20 digs in the victory over the Cavaliers.
GAME 1 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae def. Bluefield State, 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-14)
LOCATION: David J. Prior Convocation Center – Wise, Virginia
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (2-0/0-0), Bluefield State (1-3/0-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lees-McRae knotted the first set at 21 points apiece and rattled off four straight points for the 24-21 lead. Nina Vallesi closed the opening set with a kill at 25-23.
- Bluefield State evened the match in the second set with a 25-23 set victory. The Big Blue hit -0.029 in the set, but held the Bobcats in check with a hitting percentage of 0.029.
- The Bobcats bounced back in the third set after trailing 21-19. Nicole Osborne started a 4-0 scoring run to regain the lead at 23-21 and Patrycja Rykala concluded the set with a kill at 25-23.
- Lees-McRae rolled in the fourth for the four-set match victory and recorded a .201 hitting percentage in the contest.
- Stigler paced the Bobcats with 14 kills on a .219 hitting percentage and chipped in 12 digs. Clara Duarte followed with nine kills on an efficient .320 hitting percentage and Rebecca Ryan had eight kills in the match.
- Young dished out 22 assists in the match to go along with two service aces and five digs. Karlee Mainor followed with 12 assists and Addyson Morgan tallied 11 assists in three sets played.
- Emma Summerfield collected nine digs in three sets for the Bobcats and Osborne registered six kills and eight digs in the first match of the day.
FOR THE BIG BLUE:
- Jannice Lynch led Bluefield State with 12 kills on 43 total attempts. Gabby Hale contributed 28 assists in the match and 10 digs. Kaileigh Solis had a match-high 13 digs.
GAME 2 BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae def. UVA Wise, 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-12, 25-19)
LOCATION: David J. Prior Convocation Center - Wise, Virginia
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (3-0), UVA Wise (3-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- In the battle of two unbeaten teams, Lees-McRae defeated South Atlantic Conference member UVA Wise in four sets.
- Stigler led the Bobcats with 12 kills in the match to go along with nine digs, two aces, and two blocks. Rebecca Ryan followed with eight kills and seven digs. Duarte and Rykala each chipped in six kills in four sets played.
- UVA Wise jumped out to an early one-set lead with a 25-21 win in the opening game. The Bobcats battled back in the second set after facing a set point at 24-23, but rallied with four consecutive points for the 26-24 win.
- Lees-McRae kept the pressure on the Cavaliers with third and fourth set victories on Saturday afternoon in Wise, Virginia. The Bobcats held UVA Wise to a -.019 hitting percentage in the match and recorded 43 kills of their own.
FOR THE CAVALIERS:
- Riley Brandon joined Stigler in double-digit kills with 10. Kayle Scarce added eight kills to her season totals.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Friday, Sept. 13 for two matches against Erskine and West Virginia Wesleyan in Bluefield, West Virginia.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
