BANNER ELK, N.C. – Lees-McRae men's volleyball delivered an electric performance on senior night as the Bobcats defeated North Greenville, 3-2, on the McNair & Debi Tornow Court.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae def. North Greenville, 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 19-25, 22-25, 15-10)
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (11-13/6-6); North Greenville (10-10/6-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Prior to the match, Ben Ratliff-Becher, Thiago Da Silva, Luke Fincham, Vincent Pradarelli, Abdirahman Ahmed, and Austin Beaird were recognized as graduating seniors on the men's volleyball team.
- Lees-McRae came out swinging in the first set and picked up the opening set at 25-18 off a service ace from Beaird.
- The Bobcats tallied the second set with an impressive .313 hitting percentage and added 16 kills in the match. Beaird recorded the final two kills of the frame for the 25-22 set victory.
- North Greenville rallied in the third and fourth sets to send the match to the deciding fifth set. NGU used a double block from Yoriano Velez Vega and Landon Richter for the 25-22 set win in the fourth set.
- Lees-McRae quickly bounced back in the fifth set and started the set with a kill from Davide Nicolini. Beaird regained the 5-4 advantage for Lees-McRae with his 19th kill of the match. Nicolini powered home two more kills for the 15-10 home victory over the Trailblazers.
- Beaird had a match-high 19 kills on a .452 hitting percentage and added six digs in the match. Abdirahman Ahmed followed with 14 kills, six digs, and six assists. Nicolini tallied nine kills on a .350 hitting percentage in two sets. Luke Fincham had five kills in three sets played.
- Da Silva delivered an outstanding performance from his position with 43 assists and 11 digs. Ratliff-Becher accumulated eight digs and three assists in five sets.
- Lees-McRae men's volleyball earned the season sweep over North Greenville for the first time since 2017. The Bobcats defeated the Trailblazers in five sets on March 13, 2026 in Tigerville, South Carolina.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae plays non-conference opponent Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, April 4 in Harrogate, Tennessee.
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