SALISBURY, N.C. – Lees-McRae men's volleyball returned to the court on Friday evening and defeated Catawba in four sets in collegiate men's volleyball.
Austin Beaird led the Bobcats with 13 kills and
Abdirahman Ahmed distributed 36 assists in tonight's match.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae def. Catawba, 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 26-24, 25-21)
LOCATION: Goodman Arena – Salisbury, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (1-2); Catawba (1-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lees-McRae hit an extraordinary .524 hitting percentage in the first set and grabbed the advantage at 25-15.
- Catawba evened the match at one set after rallying for three consecutive points for the 26-24 second set.
- The Bobcats faced a three-point deficit at the end of third set at 23-20, but Jadon Ciriacks led the charge and had a set point at 24-23. Ciriacks earned the set with a service ace at 26-24.
- Lees-McRae carried the momentum into the fourth set and held the 19-13 lead off a 4-0 scoring run. The Bobcats earned the set at 25-21 off a service error from Catawba.
- Beaird collected a team-high 13 kills on a .267 hitting percentage for Lees-McRae and added five digs in the match. Ciriacks followed with eight kills, four assists, five digs, and two blocks.
- Davide Nicolini joined Ciriacks with eight kills and added two service aces and five digs in the contest. Evan Harris recorded a .636 hitting percentage in the match and Ben Fincham used a .545 hitting percentage and six kills in tonight's win. Ben Ratliff-Becher registered nine digs and two assists in his libero position.
- Lees-McRae earned its first victory over Catawba in the all-time series. Catawba knocked off No. 19 George Mason in five sets earlier this year.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae heads to Barry in Miami Shores, Florida next Friday for a three-match road trip to the Sunshine State. The match with the Buccaneers is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
