HICKORY, N.C. -- The Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team celebrated Senior Night and recorded a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Emory & Henry to close out the regular season. On a day where they were annonced as the No. 8 team in the regional rankings, LR avoided a damaging upset and secured win number 20 of the season.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Emory & Henry 2
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (20-9, 14-4 SAC), Emory & Henry (10-17, 6-11 SAC)
Location: Shuford Arena
STATS OF THE MATCH:
- LR celebrated seven seniors before the start of the match and scored the first four points of the opening set. They used the early momentum to post a 25-19 win in the opener.
- In the second set, a 3-0 LR run cut the lead to 16-15 but the Wasps would score five unanswered and took a 25-18 win.
- The Bears struggled in the third set and fell behind 2-1 with a 25-23 defeat. Despite scoring the first six points in the frame and holding a 10-3 advantage, E & H stormed back to steal the set.
- With LR up 17-10 in the third, the Wasps went on a 7-1 run thanks to four straight service aces.
- A back-and-forth fourth set went LR's way after E & H led 20-19. Back-to-back kills by Kathy Peter and Taylor Osborne pushed it to a fifth set by the count of 25-23.
- Kathy Peter had three of the first four kills to open the fifth set and Emmaleigh Allen had four kills in the set as LR sealed the win 15-12.
- Allen finished with 20 kills and added 15 digs while Peter had 14 kills and a team-high .333 hitting percentage.
- Aasia McNeill had 12 kills and 18 digs and Averie Dale had a career-best 54 assists and 21 digs. Lyndsie Warren totaled 17 digs.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Bears hit the 20 win mark for the second time in three years.
- The Bears are locked into the number four seed in the conference tournament and will host on Monday night.
- Both matches between LR and E & H went five sets this year with the Bears winning both.
- This was the second five-setter at home this year for LR.
- The Bears are a perfect 5-0 in five set matches this year and are 7-0 in two years under Nicole Barringer.
UP NEXT: LR will move to postseason play when the Eagles of Carson-Newman come to Hickory for the SAC Quarterfinal on Monday at 7 p.m.