HICKORY, N.C. - Head coach
Nicole Barringer joined an elite club on Friday, becoming just the fourth coach in program history to reach 100 wins at Lenoir-Rhyne. She now has 180 wins in her coaching career, which began with 80 victories in four years at William Peace.
After dropping the opening set, Lenoir-Rhyne rattled off three straight set victories to down Mars Hill 3-1.
Barringer is the fastest of the four coaches to reach the 100-win mark, doing so in just 141 games. Dave Markland, the program's all-time wins leader, accomplished the feat in 158 games. Pat Smith did it in 164 and Glenda Parrish in 238.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne (19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19)
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (13-6, 11-4 SAC), Mars Hill (11-11, 5-8 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Shuford Arena
STORY OF THE MATCH:
- Lenoir-Rhyne led 17-13 in the opening set before the Lions closed on a 12-2 run to go up 1-0.
- An Addison Vary kill in the second set sparked an early 6-0 run for the Bears.
- Mars Hill cut the lead to two, but a Morgan Blankenship kill sealed the set victory.
- The Bears opened the third set with yet another big lead, going up 7-1.
- Lenoir-Rhyne cruised after that, holding the Lions to a .000 hitting % in the set to go up 2-1.
- The Lions kept things close in the fourth, but the Bears clsoed on a 5-1 run to win the match.
STATS OF THE MATCH:
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Lenoir-Rhyne holds a 60-30-1 advantage in the series.
- Nicole Barringer has never lost to the Lions, going 6-0 during her time in Hickory.
- Averie Dale is tied for the conference lead in blocks/set and is second in total blocks.
- The Bears are second in the SAC and two games up on Tusculum.
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne hits the road again on Tuesday when they travel to Catawba. The Catawba Indians are 12-6 (8-6 SAC) and defeated Tusculum 3-1 earlier tonight. LR and Catawba met once this season, a 3-0 win for the Bears. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
