Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

HICKORY, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking five-set match vs. conference leading Anderson on Tuesday. 

This was the fourth game of the year that saw the Bears go to five sets. Emmaleigh Allen and Addison Vary put together strong offensive performances, finishing with 14 kills each.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (RV) Anderson 3, Lenoir-Rhyne 2 (21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12)
Records: Anderson (14-2, 8-0 SAC), Lenoir-Rhyne (9-4, 7-2 SAC)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Shuford Arena

STORY OF THE MATCH:

• Neither team led by more than two for a majority of the opening set. 
• The first 3-point lead went to the Bears thanks to an Averie Dale block to make it 23-20. 
• Brooke Aeschliman's kill sealed the 25-21 set one victory for LR.
• The Trojans went on a 9-0 run midway through the second set to pull away.
• The third set was nearly identical to the second, with Anderson making two big runs to keep the Bears at bay.
• Tied at 8-8, another Dale block sparked a 5-0 run from the Bears.
• Anderson answered, cutting the lead to 14-13, but four points from the home side stopped all Trojan momentum.
• Emmaleigh Allen notched a monster kill to send the teams to a fifth set.
• Trailing 8-7, Anderson went on a 3-0 run, giving them the lead for the rest of the game.
• The Bears made it close at 13-12, but an Anderson kill and block sealed the win.

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Emmaleigh Allen and Addison Vary led the team with 14 kills each.
• Alicia Barbarito was tops in assists with 31 while Brooke Aeschliman had 17 digs, tied for the second most of her career.
• Rachael Chambers and Averie Dale combined for 11 blocks.
• Anderson hit .287 for the match, the second highest a team has hit on the Bears all year. Lenoir-Rhyne hit .221.
• There were a combined 26 service errors in the match.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Anderson holds a 21-19 lead in the all-time series, winning three of the last four meetings, including last year's NCAA second round.
• This loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Bears, while Anderson has now won 10 in a row.
• Averie Dale sits at 290 career blocks, seven away from entering the Lenoir-Rhyne top ten.
• Emmaleigh Allen sits at career 1,035 kills, eight away from the Lenoir-Rhyne top ten.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne's next five games will be away from Shuford Arena. The Bears open the road trip with a battle at UVA Wise on Friday. The Cavaliers are 6-7 (4-5 SAC) and defeated Lees-McRae 3-1 earlier tonight. Lenoir-Rhyne and UVA Wise met once this year, a 3-1 Bear victory on September 4. First service is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.