HICKORY, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team reached new heights in a 2021 season for the record books under interim head coach Mark Wimberley. The Bears advanced to just their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and were the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region for the first time ever. The Bears made it to the Sweet 16 and also claimed a SAC Tournament Championship for the second time in program history. Here's a look back at the season that was for LR Volleyball.

OPENER AT THE BEACH: For the first time since 2019, the Bears competed in the fall and opened the campaign in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Bears took on #18 Hillsdale and American International – who would go on to be the No. 1 seed in the East Region – but dropped both contests to start 0-2.

THE STREAK: From day two of the Bash at the Beach on Sept. 11 until Oct. 16, the Bears rattled off eight straight victories which was the longest winning streak in six years. In that stretch, LR defeated Wingate in a thrilling five-setter to beat the Bulldogs for the first time since 2016. On Oct. 1, LR and Tusculum squared off with both teams being undefeated in league play and the Bears dominated the Pioneers inside Shuford Gym, winning by scores of 25-13, 25-20 and 25-11. The win over Tusculum gave the Bears a 5-0 record in league play for the first time since 2004.

RALLY FROM BEHIND: The game after LR's winning streak came to an end, the Bears were in danger of dropping two straight. LR trailed Newberry 2-0 on Oct. 7, two days after being swept by Anderson. On top of the deficit, the Bears expended a lot of energy to ultimately come up short in a brutal 32-30 second set loss. However, the Bears would take set three and four by scores of 25-23 and took the fifth set 15-12 to overcome a 2-0 deficit for the first time in nine years.

PRALL JOINS EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: On Oct. 19 at Carson-Newman, Taylor Prall became just the third player in LR history – and the second in the rally-scoring era – to reach 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Coincidentally, Prall topped 1,000 career kills in the spring of 2021 against the Eagles and notched her 1,000^th dig against the same foe. Prall joins Brooke Redmond (2014-17) as the only players to accomplish the feat in the rally-scoring era and Emily Perry joined the 1K-1K club back in 1992.

BEWICK SETS RECORD: The second dramatic comeback victory came on Oct. 23 when the Bears trailed USC Aiken 2-0 but came back to earn a 3-2 win. In that contest, senior Rachel Bewick broke a program record with 42 digs a mark never reached in the 47 years of Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball. The 42 digs also gave her 999 on her career and she would get her 1,000^th the following game at Lincoln Memorial.

PERFECT AT HOME: Thanks to a 3-1 victory over Carson-Newman in the opening round of the SAC Tournament, the Bears clinched the first-ever undefeated season at home. LR was a perfect 9-0 inside Shuford Gym with five of those wins coming in straight sets.

SAC TOURNEY: The Bears entered the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed but finished only one game out of first place. After dispatching of Carson-Newman in the first round, the Bears were set to square off with No. 1 seed Tusculum for the second time on the season. The Bears defeated Tusculum 3-1 to advance to the SAC Championship. Matching up with Anderson for the second time, LR took home the second tournament title in program history with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Trojans as Anna Jordan served the game-winning ace.

NCAA TOURNEY: In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, top-seeded LR handled Francis Marion 3-0 to matchup with rival Wingate in the second round. The Bears defeated the Bulldogs for the second time on the season despite dropping the first set. Ultimately, the season would end in the Regional Final with a tough 3-2 loss to Augusta but it tied the 2015 team for the deepest postseason run in program history.

Awards Won
Taylor Prall: AVCA Regional Player of the Year, AVCA Second Team All-American, SAC Tournament MVP, First Team All-Conference, NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament Team, First Team All-Region
Rachel Bewick: AVCA National Player of the Week, 3x SAC Player of the Week, AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region, SAC All-Tournament Team
Emma Clark: NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament Team
Colette Romp: SAC All-Tournament Team