Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Lees-McRae Bobcats on Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 final score.

The Warriors had 29 kills in the loss to the Bobcats with Amber Bass leading the team with 14.  Ashlyn Holford followed with seven.  Of the 29 assists, Ashley Sexton had 25.  Southern Wesleyan posted four aces and five blocks in the match against Lees-McRae.  Emily Ellis led the team with three of the blocks, with Holford and Bass following with two.  Bass and Ellis had 13 of the 52 digs of the afternoon.  Jesse Soles followed them with 12 digs.


 
Match Vitals

Final: Lees-McRae 3, Southern Wesleyan 0
                Set One: Lees-McRae 25, Southern Wesleyan 16
                Set Two: Lees-McRae 26, Southern Wesleyan 24
                Set Three: Lees-McRae 25, Southern Wesleyan 17

Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-13 / CC 0-10) Lees-McRae (7-10 / CC 5-5)


 
How It Happened

Set One
Lees-McRae took the first two points of the match before a kill by Riley Young put the Warriors down 2-1.  Kills by Amber Bass and Ashlyn Holford kept the Warriors within one point of the Bobcats.  The Bobcats countered the Warriors' attacks with kills by Carlee Albaugh and Hailey Gilreath.  Despite trailing the Bobcats, the Warriors kept up the intensity as Bass put down three kills to put Southern Wesleyan down 16-11.  However, Lees-McRae went on to take the first set 25-16.

Set Two
A service error by the Bobcats allowed the Warriors to take the first point of the second set, but the Bobcats countered shortly afterwards with a kill by Hailey Gilreath to tie the set up.  However, a kill by Riley Young allowed Southern Wesleyan to regain the lead.  The Warriors pushed ahead, taking a 6-5 point lead on a kill by Emily Ellis.  Lees-McRae would not go down quietly as kills by Olivia Ney allowed them to take an 8-6 point lead, but Southern Wesleyan countered minutes later with a kill by Amber Bass to regain the advantage.  The second set went back and forth, but a kill by Gilreath allowed the Bobcats to get on top 23-19.  Southern Wesleyan was not done as kills by Ashlyn Holford and attack errors by the Bobcats allowed them to tie the set back up 23-23.  The Bobcats went on to win the second set 26-24 on a kill by Natasha Colon Moreno.

Set Three
Lees-McRae jumped out early in the final set on a kill by Olivia Ney, but a kill by Amber Bass allowed Southern Wesleyan to tie it back up 1-1.  The Bobcats regained the lead, but a kill by Ashlyn Holford and ace by Amber Bass allowed the Warriors to get back on top 4-3.  Lees-McRae increased the intensity with kills by Kaden Hill to put them ahead by two.  An assisted block by Emily Ellis and Tiyonnah Brown allowed the Warriors to come to 9-6 behind the Bobcats.  Despite kills by Bass, Ellis and Holford, the Warriors dropped the final set 25-17.


 
What's Next

The Warriors will travel to Belmont, NC on October 20 to take on the Belmont Abbey Crusaders at 7 p.m.  They will remain on the road on October 22 as they travel to Tigerville, SC to take on the North Greenville Crusaders for a 7 p.m. first serve.  Southern Wesleyan will return home on October 23 to host the King Tornado at 2 p.m.