FAIRMONT, WV - Head Coach Nicole Barringer and the Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball team started their 2024 season strong on Friday, taking down Bloomsburg 3-0 and Farimont State 3-1 at the Fairmont State Volleyball Classic. 

Despite their recent success, this is the first 2-0 for the Bears since they defeated Francis Marion and Grand Valley State to open their season in 2019. 

Game one vs. Bloomsburg

The Bears got a big win in their opener, taking down the Bloomsburg Huskies 25-14, 25-21, 25-23. The first set belonged to the Bears all the way, as they jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead. Strong play at the net forced a game-high nine errors from Bloomsburg, leading to the set victory. 

Set two saw the Huskies take an early lead, jumping out 9-2 on the Bears. LR slowly inched back, eventually turning a 14-11 deficit into a 15-14 lead thanks to four straight kills from Kayli Cleaver, Jenna Vogen, and Averie Dale. Five straight points late sealed a 25-21 set win. 

Lenoir-Rhyne saw themselves fall behind 10-5 early in set three, but came storming back to tie it at 15-15. Kiley Redfern, Aasia McNeill, and Kayli Cleaver each grabbed a few kills late to secure the big.

Kiley Redfern led LR with 10 kills, followed by Aasia McNeil with nine and Jenna Vogen with eight. Rachel Wildermuth and Sydney Karjala led a balanced setting attack with 18 and 17 assists respectively. Jenna Vogen's 13 digs were tops on the tea, with Aasia McNeil finishing just behind her with nine. 

Game two vs. Fairmont State

The Bears took down Fairmont State 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22 to get out to a big 2-0 start to their season. In set one, an early 7-1 lead wasn't enough in the opening set, as Fairmont State battled back to get the 25-19 win. 

Down early again, the Bears got back-to-back-to-back kills from Kayli Cleaver, Jenna Vogen, and Kathy Peter to tie things up at 14-14. The Falcons battled to take a 21-18 lead, but the Bears scored seven of the final eight points of the set to tie things up at one apiece. 

A back-and-forth battle throughout, the Bears used the big kills from Kayli Cleaver and Jenna Vogen to score three of the final four points, taking the set 25-22. 

Consistent over the final points throughout both games, the Bears yet again showed their poise, holding strong at the net, forcing two late errors to get the win. 

Jenna Vogen (14) and Averie Dale (13) each finished with double-digit kills, while Aasia McNeil came through with a career high 26 digs. The setting duo of Sydney Karjala and Rachel Wildermuth is prepared to wreak havok on the SAC this season, as they finished with a combined 48 assists. 

The Bears will be back in action tomorrow in Fairmont as they take on Virginia Union at 10 a.m. and Slippery Rock at 2 p.m.