MARS HILL, N.C. – The Catawba women's volleyball team capped off a perfect 3-0 week in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Saturday night by sweeping Mars Hill 3-0 on the road.
Lillie Kate Rogers led the Catawba Indians in kills and service aces. She landed 12 attacks on a quality hitting percentage of .385 and three aces.
Annica Kagle proved to be a strong addition back into the Catawba lineup this weekend, recording eight kills Saturday night on an ultra-efficient .400 percentage. The setting duo of
Camden Bizot and
Sydney McCutcheon delivered 14 and 13 assists, respectively.
Maddie Henning blocked four attempts, and
Riley Hill dug 13 attacks as the leaders defensively.
Catawba (7-1, 3-1 SAC) was productive in the hitting percentage category with a rate of .224. The blue and white's .221 percentage for the season ranks second in the SAC. The Catawba Indians capitalized on 24 Mars Hill (6-5, 1-2 SAC) errors, while committing just 13, which proved to be the difference in the match.
The visitors picked up right where they left off on Friday night, claiming an early 5-1 first-set lead. The Lions quickly clawed back to take a 10-8 advantage. Kagle would deliver a pair of kills to even the highly contested frame out at 21 apiece. Mars Hill committed two attack errors before recording three points, with another Kagle kill in between. Rogers put Catawba up 25-24 before the set-clinching
Maggie Ayers kill.
Catawba found themselves in another back-and-forth set in the second. This time, they fell behind 21-19 before they flipped a switch.
Rebekah Ayers gave the blue and white a much-needed kill, setting up a Rogers ace.
Rebekah Ayers would strike again before her twin sister,
Maggie Ayers, put the Catawba Indians ahead 23-21. The Lions couldn't stop the damage; they committed an attack error before another Rogers ace, and Catawba took the second set 25-21.
The visitors sensed the moment, rolling to a 10-4 advantage in the third stanza. Rogers and Kagle continued their proficient nights, tacking on more kills to take a 15-9 lead before the Mars Hill errors piled on, giving Catawba a comfortable 20-9 edge. The Lions' comeback attempt fell short as a service error gave the Catawba Indians the 25-19 third-set victory and their seventh win of the season.
Catawba has now won 23 of the 31 total sets played this season and improved to a perfect 3-0 away from home.
The Catawba women's volleyball team will be back on the road Tuesday, September 15th, when it heads to Hickory, N.C., to face SAC rival Lenoir-Rhyne at 6 p.m.
