TIGERVILLE, S.C. -- In non-conference action, the Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team split a pair of games on Saturday afternoon in a tri-match hosted by North Greenville. The Bears earned a 3-1 win over Francis Marion before falling by the same score to the host Crusaders.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final Match One: Lenoir-Rhyne 3, Francis Marion 1
Final Match Two: North Greenville 3, Lenoir-Rhyne 1
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (11-4), Francis Marion (6-8), North Greenville (11-3)
Location: Hayes Gymnasium
STATS OF THE MATCH ONE:
- Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to an early start, taking the first set by a score of 25-18.
- The second set was back-and-forth as FMU led 18-16 before the Bears battled back. The Patriots went up 24-21 before LR scored two in a row to make it 24-23. However, the Patriots would even the match at 1 with the final kill.
- The Bears would close out the match with narrow wins in the third (25-22) and fourth (25-23) sets.
- Emmaleigh Allen had 19 kills and five service aces to go with seven digs in the winning effort. Aasia McNeill had a season-high 20 digs to go with her 14 kills.
- Cheyenne Clonch had seven kills and six blocks while Sydney Karjala had 41 assists, 16 digs and four blocks to go with three kills.
STATS OF THE MATCH TWO:
- In one of the most evenly matched games of the season, LR and North Greenville saw each of the four sets decided by two points.
- NGU took the opener 25-23 before LR battled back to win the second stanza 27-25. The Crusaders would seal the deal with a 30-28 win in the third and 25-23 clincher.
- Allen was the lone Bear in double figures in kills with 14 and Kathy Peter had eight with a .421 hitting percenrage and nine blocks.
- Averie Dale had 21 assists and seven digs in her first extended playing time of the year.
- Lyndsie Warren led the Bears with 20 digs.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- LR has only one non-conference match left this season, an Oct. 17 contest against Lander.
- The Bears are 6-4 in non-conference action so far this season, clinching a winning record out of the league.
- In total, the Bears have played nine games away from home compared to six home matches in 2023.
- The Bears are 5-1 against Conference Carolinas opponents this year.
UP NEXT: The Bears will have one of their biggest games of the year on Tuesday when they travel to Wingate for a 7 p.m. match.