Charlotte, NC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Lees-McRae Bobcats on Thursday evening in a 3-1 final score.
The Warriors totaled 45 kills with Micheala Andress leading the team with 12. She was followed by Mikaylah Hutton with nine kills and Gracie Wilson with eight. Amiyah Spann led the team with 20 assists while Katie Fulton was right on her heels with 19. Southern Wesleyan accumulated seven aces in the match. Both Fulton and Andress had two.
Southern Wesleyan picked up 59 digs during the match with both Faith Paxton and Micheala Andress having 15. Angel Jimenez also had double-digits in digs with 11. Of the seventeen blocks of the evening, Megan Gilliland had five. Gracie Wilson and Sarah Mitchell each had four blocks.
Match Vitals
Set One Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Lees-McRae 16
Set Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Lees-McRae 22
Set Three Final: Lees-McRae 25, Southern Wesleyan 20
Set Four Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Lees-McRae 14
Records: Southern Wesleyan (7-7 / CC 4-4) Lees-McRae (9-6 / CC 1-4)
How It Happened
Set One
Micheala Andress laid down a kill right out of the gate in set one to give Southern Wesleyan the first point of the match. However, Lees-McRae countered with a kill off the hands of Sydney Stigler to tie the set up. The Warriors would not back down as Gracie Wilson drilled the ball down for a kill, and then Sarah Mitchell and Mikaylah Hutton blocked the next attack by the Bobcats. Back-to-back kills by Hutton extended the Warriors lead to 5-2. Kills by Andress and Wilson put Southern Wesleyan ahead by seven. The Bobcats fought back as Stigler served in two aces. Southern Wesleyan persisted with kills by Karson Haley to claim the first set 25-16.
Set Two
Lees-McRae took the early lead in the second set as Rebecca Ryan and Sydney Stigler each put down kills. A kill by Megan Gilliland put the Warriors on the board. The Bobcats pushed on with kills by Stigler, Karlee Mainor and Clara Duarte. However, a kill by Sarah Mitchell and then attack errors by the Bobcats allowed Southern Wesleyan to tie the set up. The Warriors took the lead off a kill by Karson Haley. Micheala Andress laid down a kill that spearheaded a six point run to give the Warriors a 15-9 point advantage over the Bobcats. Lees-McRae fought back as a kill by Nina Vallesi put them back within two points of Southern Wesleyan. However, kills by Gracie Wilson allowed Southern Wesleyan to claim a 25-22 point victory in the second set.
Set Three
The Warriors jumped out early in the third set with a kill by Micheala Andress. They continued to push ahead as Mikaylah Hutton laid down a kill and then Hutton and Megan Gilliland block the next attack by the Bobcats. Lees-McRae fought back as aces by Kaley Mabry and a kill by Clara Duarte put them behind the Warriors by one. Kills by Karson Haley and Andress allowed the Warriors to gain back their three point advantage. Lees-McRae rallied back as a kill by Addyson Morgan tied the set up at seventeen. The Bobcats pushed on as back-to-back kills by Nina Vallesi gave them a 25-20 point victory in set three.
Set Four
Once again the Warriors took the early lead as Micheala Andress laid down a kill. They pushed on with a kill by Megan Gilliland and a block by Gracie Wilson. Lees-McRae countered with a kill by Clara Duarte, but Gilliland laid down a kill off a pass from Katie Fulton on the next play to give the Warriors a 5-3 point lead. Kills by Andress, Gilliland and Wilson allowed the Warriors to extend their lead to four points. Andress served up back-to-back aces to put Southern Wesleyan on top 17-7. Clara Duarte and Addyson Morgan got up to block another Warrior attack, but the Warriors persisted with another kill by Andress. Gracie Wilson and Megan Gilliland went up and blocked the next attack by the Bobcats to allow them to claim the final set in a 25-14 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will remain on the road on October 19 as they travel to Mount Olive, NC to take on the University of Mount Olive Trojans. They will then travel to Due West, SC to take on the Erskine Flying Fleet on October 23. The Warriors will take on the UNC Pembroke Braves and the Francis Marion Patriots over the weekend of October 25 and 26.
