BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's volleyball team dropped their Conference Carolinas matchup Wednesday night, falling to Lees-McRae College 3-1.
Hailee Blankenship finished with eight kills and six aces for the Tornado.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae 3, King 1 (25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 29-27)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 3-6, 1-1 Conference Carolinas; Lees-McRae 4-4, 1-0 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Lees-McRae broke an early 2-2 tie with a 6-2 scoring run to open up an early 8-4 lead.
- King would get back to within 9-8 before the Bobcats went on a 6-2 run, extending their advantage to 15-10.
- The Bobcats would further extend their lead, getting to 20-13 before a King timeout.
- The Tornado scored right out of the timeout after a kill by Abigale Jayne, but were unable to overcome the Bobcats, falling 25-18.
Second Set
- Katie Harless was responsible for the first two King points, starting with a kill before adding a service ace.
- After King led 5-3, the Bobcats went on a 3-1 scoring run to tie the set at six.
- Lees-McRae started to put ground between themselves and the Tornado, as a 6-0 Bobcats run that included consecutive aces saw the score turn into 15-9.
- After the lead reached 21-16, King was able to score a pair of points off Bobcats errors to pull to within 21-18.
- The Bobcats would score four of the final six points however to take the set 25-20.
Third Set
- Lees-McRae took the first three points of the set, before an attack error by the Bobcats and a Paula La Mendola service ace brought the Tornado to within 3-2.
- The Tornado took their first lead of the set at 12-11 after the Bobcats committed a service ace.
- After LMC tied the set, King went on a 4-2 scoring run, pulling in front 16-14.
- Lees-McRae got to within 19-18, but Izzy Krick got a kill, before assisting Jayne on a block to put King up 21-18, forcing a timeout.
- After the Bobcats took the first point after the break, King scored the final four points, with Blankenship ending the set with a kill.
Fourth Set
- The Bobcats took an early 3-2 lead, but the Tornado were able to stay close early.
- After a Tornado block brought them to within 11-10, the Bobcats scored five points in a row to take a 16-10 lead.
- King was able to rally, working their way back until another attack error by the Bobcats tied the score at 23.
- Gabri Puertas put the Tornado in front with a service ace, which turned into 24-22 after another LMC attack error.
- Both teams had multiple chances to put the set away, but it was the Bobcats who would do so, winning 29-27, and taking the match 3-1.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship finished with eight kills and six aces, both of which led the Tornado.
- Harless had 16 assists, while Kylie Love added 10 and two service aces.
- Jersey Wines led the way with 15 digs, along with a pair of assists
FOR THE FOES
- Sydney Stigler led the Bobcats attack, posting 21 kills, three aces and 17 digs on the night.
- Nina Vallesi finished with 12 kills while Patrycja Rykala had 10.
- Madison Goins handed out 46 assists, while also recording 14 digs.
UP NEXT
- King will play again Sept. 29 when they host the University of Mount Olive inside the Student Center.
- Lees-McRae will take on Belmont Abbey College Saturday.
