BANNER ELK, NC. – The Tornado got back into the win column Friday night, as they took down the Lees-McRae Bobcats 3-1 behind 15 kills from
Hailee Blankenship and 20 set assists from
Katie Harless.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Lees-McRae 1 (25-16, 25-21, 21-25, 25-16)
LOCATION: Williams Gymnasium; Banner Elk, N.C.
RECORDS: King 8-6, 3-1 Conference Carolinas; Lees-McRae 4-8, 2-3 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- After scoring the first point of the match, the Tornado fell behind early to the Bobcats before the Tornado scored five unanswered points to open a 7-4 lead.
- Coming out of a Lees-McRae timeout, the Tornado started to put some space between themselves and the Bobcats, going on a 5-3 run that culminated with a Brittney Ramsey kill that gave King a 15-9 lead.
- The Tornado closed out the set strong, with Blankenship delivering back-to-back service aces before closing things out on a Bobcats attack error to take the set 25-16.
- Blankenship finished the set with five of the 11 Tornado kills, along with four service aces.
Second Set
- In the second set, the Tornado jumped out to an early 5-2 lead behind a service ace from Ward and multiple attack errors from the Bobcats.
- After exchanging points, the Tornado went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a service ace from Blankenship to take a 15-8 lead.
- After the Bobcats closed in on King, the Tornado put the set away thanks to a kill from Ward, with Brittney Ramsey recording the assist to put King up 2-0.
Third Set
- The Bobcats kicked off the third set with a 5-0 run that was ended with a kill from Ramsey.
- It would take all set for the Tornado to make up the deficit, which was helped by a 4-0 run that brought them to within 13-10, before a 3-0 run that got them within two points.
- The Bobcats would score their final 10 points, including a 4-0 and 3-0 run that ended the set.
- Despite dropping the set, the Tornado outplayed the Bobcats, recording 13 kills to 12 for Lees-McRae along with a pair of blocks.
Fourth Set
- The fourth set was dominated by the Tornado, as they came out on fire, quickly opening up a 12-6 lead.
- The King lead eventually took a 21-12 lead thanks to a service ace from Ward and a thunderous kill from Ramsey.
- The finishing touch came on match point, when Blankenship delivered another service ace, this one giving the Tornado the 3-1 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship ended the match with 15 kills, which is tied for her most this season. She also had a season-high 22 digs and seven service aces, another season-high.
- Harless ended up with 20 set assists, marking the fifth time this season that she has cleared the 20 assists mark.
- As a team, the Tornado had 13 service aces, their second-most of the season.
- This was the second straight win for the Tornado over Lees-McRae.
FOR THE FOES
- Natasha Colon Moreno had 18 kills for the Bobcats, along with 10 digs.
- Carlee Allbaugh racked up 28 of the 34 set assists for the Bobcats.
Up Next
- The Tornado return to the Student Center for a Saturday afternoon showdown with Southern Wesleyan, with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m.
- Lees-McRae is off until Tuesday, when they will face North Greenville.
