Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

HICKORY, N.C. - Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball came out with their biggest win of the season on Friday night, taking down rival Wingate 3-2 in a thrilling five set match. 

Tied at 13-13 in the fifth set, the Bears sealed the win with a kill from Brooke Aeschliman and a solo block by Rachael Chambers.

This marks Lenoir-Rhyne's first win over Wingate since a 3-1 victory in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, breaking a 10-game losing streak.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 3, (RV) Wingate 2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-13)
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (6-3, 4-1 SAC), Wingate (7-3, 3-2 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Shuford Arena

STORY OF THE MATCH:

• Lenoir-Rhyne up 9-7 in set one thanks to back-to-back kills from Addison Vary. 
• Tied at 22-22, the Bears scored three of the final five points to take the opening set.
• Wingate led big in set two, jumping out to a 10-4 lead.
• The Bears clawed back, cutting the lead to 21-20.
• The Bulldogs buckled down, winning four of the final five points.
• The Bear turned things around in the third set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead.
• Wingate slowly inched their way back, eventually making it a 24-23 game, but an attack error gave the Bears the set. 
• The Bulldogs dominated the fourth set, riding an 11-3 lead to a 25-15 set victory.
• Tied at 6-6 in the fifth, an kill by Averie Dale started a 5-1 run for the Bears to take an 11-7 lead.
• Wingate called a timeout and came out of it swinging, tying things up at 13-13.
• The Bears picked up a kill from Brooke Aeschliman and a big block from Rachael Chambers to grab the win.

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Brooke Aeschliman (14), Averie Dale (13), Emmaleigh Allen (10), and Addison Vary (10) finished with double-digit kills.
•  Alicia Barbarito (27) and Ella Scott (19) combined for 46 assists.
• Julie Donato was tops with 15 digs.
• Lenoir-Rhyne posted a hitting % of .220, with Wingate having a .232.
• Both teams struggled serving, with the Bears having 17 service errors and Wingate having 12.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The last time Lenoir-Rhyne beat Wingate was in 2021, when they accomplished the feat twice.
• The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 64-21.
• Nicole Barringer now sits at 93 wins as the Lenoir-Rhyne head coach.
• With the win Lenoir-Rhyne jumps to second in the SAC standings with a 4-1 record, just behind Anderson's 4-0 mark.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne turns around and hosts Coker tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. The Cobras dropped a 3-0 match to Catawba earlier tonight and are 6-4 (1-3 SAC) on the year.