HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba College women's volleyball team gutted out a five-set win over Lees-McRae before falling to Florida Tech in three, splitting the first day of action at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational on Friday.
Match 1: Catawba 3, Lees-McRae 2
TEAM STATS
- The Catawba Indians (1-0) claimed a slight edge in hitting percentage with a .179-.154 margin
- Off-target serves plagued the Bobcats (0-1) who committed 13 errors in 87 chances; Catawba held a 7-6 advantage in aces and boasted a .940 service percentage
- The blue and white dominated Lees-McRae at the net, winning the blocking battle 11-6
- In sets 3-5, Catawba recorded sideout percentages of 60% and higher; LMC went sub-.500 in the third and fifth frames, but spurred sideouts on a whopping 83% of rallies during the fourth
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Sofia Beard led the attack with 15 kills and finished as one of three servers with two aces
- Lillie Kate Rogers registered a double-double using 11 kills and 12 digs, the second of her career; the first came in her collegiate debut, another five-set win at Coker (10/4/2024)
- Sydney Wattles broke into double figures offensively, landing 11 kills while tacking on four blocks
- Annica Kagle set a new career high of four blocks including two solo stops; Martina Foster also ended up with a quartet of denials at the net
- Haley Moffett and Tamie Boudot shared setting duties, generating 22 and 21 assists, respectively, as Boudot flirted with a double-double at nine digs
- Riley Hill collected 19 digs and went errorless in 12 receptions, 10 serves and 10 set opportunities
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- A sluggish start for the Catawba Indians featured three straight attack errors to force the match's first timeout
- Beard began to catch fire on the outside with four kills and a block assist in a seven-rally stretch, helping slim the gap to 9-8 before Bobcat miscues allowed Catawba to move ahead
- The Catawba Indian offense found its footing with key contributions coming from multiple players, highlighted by Foster's three blasts and two blocks
- Head coach Brenn Ferguson opted for a second timeout to snap an attacking skid, setting up a 6-1 run punctuated by a Boudot-to-Foster slam to seal the opener at 25-17
Second Set
- Sára Puskás helped Catawba launch off the starting line, but the Bobcat pair of Sydney Stigler and Jadyn Walters allowed LMC to keep pace
- Down 10-8, Stigler keyed a six-point swing for the Bobcats that extended to nine points in a row after a Catawba timeout
- Although errors trimmed the deficit to four in a couple instances, the margin proved too large to recover as LMC evened the score at 1-1
Third Set
- Catawba stomped on the gas pedal, leveraging two Moffett aces and a pair of Puskás-Foster blocks to create a 5-0 holeshot
- The Bobcats shrunk the gap to 9-7, but Wattles inflicted a barrage of kills in short succession as Boudot aced and an assisted stop by Wattles and Kagle shoved the lead to 19-12
- Wattles capped her six-dart set with two more blasts as LMC sabotaged itself down the stretch to wrap up the frame in decisive 25-14 fashion
Fourth Set
- After opening the stanza with back-and-forth scoring, Lees-McRae slipped ahead as Catawba remained at arm's length
- With the LMC advantage tightened to 13-12, the Bobcats dodged the set's first lead change and scampered to an 18-12 edge
- Foster bookended a Bobcat timeout with a kill and an ace shortly before a 4-2 run got LMC across the finish line at 25-18
Fifth Set
- Beard fired out of a cannon with three consecutive kills in the final set
- The Charlottesville, Va., product found paydirt two additional kills, then chalked up an ace as the Bobcats called timeout at 11-6
- LMC gaffes featuring two stops by Kagle capped a 6-0 run and sealed the Bobcats' fate
Match 2: Florida Tech 3, Catawba 0
TEAM STATS
- Florida Tech (2-0) enjoyed an efficient .229 outing with 39 kills as Catawba (1-1) hit .134 and generated 30 kills
- The Panthers were potent in service, finishing at 11-3 in the aces margin
- Defensively, the Catawba Indians piled up 38 digs and four blocks while Florida Tech dug out 44 attacks and halted eight at the net
- All three sets were decided by 25-18 margins
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Rogers notched 10 kills and two service aces, both team highs, and led the hitters with eight digs
- Foster batted .444 with four smashes, while Chloe Ratliff put up three kills on just five swings
- Kagle chipped in two blocks, one solo and one assisted, as four other Catawba Indians had one stop apiece
- Hill was credited with 15 digs and turned three of her six sets into assists
NOTES
- Catawba has won its season opener in back-to-back seasons, doing so in 2024 with a 3-0 sweep of Barton in Raleigh
- The squad's 11 blocks against Lees-McRae matches last season's high-water mark
- Dating back to 2024, each of Catawba's last three victories away from home have been won in five sets
- Riley Hill is two digs away from tying the program's eighth-best career mark, currently standing at 852 career digs
UP NEXT
Catawba concludes opening weekend at Shuford Arena tomorrow, lining up against Mount Olive for a 4 p.m. first serve.
