Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan fell in four sets to the Lees-McRae Bobcats on Friday evening in a 3-1 final score.
The Warriors totaled 41 kills on the evening as Kaylon Chapman led the team with 12. Both Megan Gilliland and Ainsley Stovall had eight kills. Katie Fulton picked up 21 of the 39 assists during the match. Southern Wesleyan served up four aces with Chapman having two. Both Calie Covey and Fulton had one ace each.
Defensively, Southern Wesleyan collected 65 digs. Calie Covey led the Warriors as she had 17 digs. Right behind her, Kaylon Chapman recorded 16 digs. Southern Wesleyan had six total blocks in the match. Both Ainsley Stovall and Megan Gilliland had two.
Match Vitals
Set One Final: Lees-McRae 27, Southern Wesleyan 25
Set Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 25, Lees-McRae 21
Set Three Final: Lees-McRae 25, Southern Wesleyan 15
Set Four Final: Lees-McRae 25, Southern Wesleyan 19
Records: Southern Wesleyan (10-8 / CC 8-6) Lees-McRae (9-13 / CC 9-6)
How It Happened
Set One
Megan Gilliland allowed the Warriors to get on the board first in the opening set of the evening as she got the ball past the defense for a kill. Lees-McRae took the lead on a kill by Clara Duarte, but Kaylon Chapman got in a kill of her own to allow the Warriors to regain advantage. The Bobcats fought back as Rebecca Ryan got in a couple of kills to give Lees-McRae a 9-6 point lead. However, a service error by the Bobcats and then another kill by Chapman tied the set back up once again. The Warriors and the Bobcats exchanged the lead several more times throughout the opening set. Ainsley Stovall blocked an attack by Clara Duarte to tie the set up at twenty-four points apiece. Lees-McRae would not relent as a kill by Karoline Springman and an attack error by the Warriors allowed them to take the opening set 27-25.
Set Two
Southern Wesleyan jumped out early in the second set as a kill by Kaylon Chapman and an ace off the hands of Katie Fulton allowed them to take a 3-0 point lead. Sydney Stigler blocked an attack by Megan Gilliland, but it was not enough as Gilliland got the ball down the next point for a kill to keep the Warriors ahead by two. Amiyah Spann set the ball up to Chapman who drilled it past the Bobcat defense to extend Southern Wesleyan's lead to 9-5. The Bobcats attempted to rally as a kill by Karoline Springman put them within striking distance, but Karson Haley and Briley Wolff each got in kills to keep the Warriors on top by four. Southern Wesleyan pressed on as Sarah Mitchell and Gilliland got up to block another attack by Stigler and give the Warriors a 25-21 point victory in set two.
Set Three
Lees-McRae went on an early run in the third set spearheaded by kills by Sydney Stigler. Trailing by three, Megan Gilliland drilled the ball past the Bobcats and then Calie Covey served up her lone ace of the evening to put the Warriors within one point of Lees-McRae. The Bobcats would not back down as they went on a seven point run to take an 11-3 point lead over the Warriors. Briley Wolff laid down a kill off a pass from Amiyah Spann, and then Karson Haley got in a kill of her own. However, the Bobcats would not relent as Laren Newcomer served up an ace. Another ace, this time off the hands of Stigler, allowed Lees-McRae to take the third set in a 25-15 final.
Set Four
The Bobcats carried their intensity into the final set of the match as a kill by Clara Duarte and an ace by Lauren Newcomer gave them the early 4-1 advantage over Southern Wesleyan. Megan Gilliland and Briley Wolff got up to block another attack by Stigler. It was not enough has the Bobcats went on another scoring run led by aces by Brooke Ashkenases to give them a six point lead. Southern Wesleyan looked to cut into Lees-McRae's lead as Kaylon Chapman got down back-to-back kills. Stigler would not be stopped as she got several more kills past the Warriors. Despite kills by Gilliland and Ellie Moore, the Bobcats went on to claim the final set in a 25-19 final.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will welcome the Barton Bulldogs to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium on October 25 for a 2pm match. They will then host the Belmont Abbey Crusaders on October 31 and the King Tornado on November 1. The Warriors will travel to Franklin Springs, GA on November 5 to take on the Emmanuel Lions for the second time this semester.
