HICKORY, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team dropped the first set but rebounded to win the final three and earned a crucial SAC win over Mars Hill. Colette Romp finished with 20 kills as the Bears move their home winning streak to 17 in a row.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Mars Hill 1
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (12-4, 8-1 SAC) | Mars Hill (12-2, 7-2 SAC)
Location: Shuford Arena
STATS OF THE MATCH:
- On top of having a match-high 20 kills, Romp hit a scorching .463. With the Lions rallying in the fourth set to pull within one at 23-22, it was Romp who stopped the momentum with a huge kill as the Bears held on for the win.
- Mars Hill won the first set 26-24 but the Bears rallied for wins of 25-20 and 25-19. In the fifth set, LR looked to cruise to a victory as they built a 23-18 lead.
- However, the Lions surged back and scored five straight before Romp's clutch kill. An attack error from Mars Hill sealed the deal.
- Emmaleigh Allen added 16 kills for the Bears and recorded the double-double with 11 digs.
- Ashley Hawkins added 10 kills and a team-high 21 digs while Mackenzie Hulsey also netted a double-double with 20 digs and 56 assists.
- Bailey Carpenter added 19 digs as the Bears finished with 86 digs as a squad.
- Braelyn Faust had a career-high five aces.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- These two teams both entered with a 7-1 league mark but the Bears moved to 8-1 in the only match of the regular season for the two teams.
- Mars Hill was the last team to beat LR at home, a 3-0 defeat in the spring of 2021.
- The 20 kills from Romp are the second time she reached the 20-kill total in a match.
UP NEXT: LR will return to action on Saturday when they host Tusculum at 2 p.m.
