Volleyball Drops A Pair of Games at SAC/Peach Belt Crossover

GREENEVILLE, TENN. – The Mars Hill volleyball team dropped a pair of contests in the closing day of the 2016 SAC/Peach Belt Crossover at Pioneer Arena. The Lions fell in five sets to Augusta (17-25, 16-25, 25-18, 25-22, and 10-15) before dropping the nightcap to Lander in four (20-25, 25-17, 15-25, and 19-25). MHU is now 3-15 overall on the season.

GAME ONE

Augusta looked as though it would cruise to a match win, taking the first two sets with relative ease (25-17 and 25-16). However, the Lions showed their poise and the offense starting clicking, starting with the third set.

With their collective backs against the wall, the Lions came out swinging in the third frame, quickly jumping out to a 16-5 lead. Augusta made a bit of a push, but the deficit proved to be too much as Mars Hill finished off the set 25-18.

Set four belonged to the Jaguars early as they were able to take a 9-9 contest and turn it into a comfortable 17-13 lead. Once again the Blue and Gold showed its resilience behind the masterful serving of Rebecca Butler, reeling off seven straight points to turn a four-point deficit into a three-point lead. That lead would not be relinquished as Mars Hill forced a fifth set with a 25-22 set win.

The decisive set was just as competitive as the first four with the teams trading the initial 28 points. With the contest deadlocked at 14-all, Augusta took two consecutive points to take the set 16-14 and the match 3-2.

Mary Kate Griffin and Maddie Spurgeon tallied 13 kills each, while Andie Russell handed out 40 assists. Victoria Kaiser added a game-high 28 digs. Butler and Lauren Hochstetler collected nine kills each, while Elizabeth Kaesar contributed three service aces.

GAME TWO

Set one was a back-and-forth effort until Lander took an 18-all tie and turned it into a 25-20 set win to go up 1-0 in the match.

Mars Hill raced out to an 11-6 lead in set two, forcing an early timeout by the Bearcats. The stoppage did nothing for the momentum of the set as the Lions carried a 19-13 advantage late, eventually knotting the match 1-1 with a 25-17 set win.

Lander took control of set three with a 9-3 burst to open the frame. That lead ballooned to 16-9 before the Lions asked for a timeout. The Bearcats would eventually take a 2-1 match lead with a 25-15.

Both teams came out strong on the offensive end in set three, swapping the first 20 points. A mini run of 3-0 for the Bearcats put them ahead 17-14, but the Lions clawed their way back to knot the set at 19-all. However, that would be as close at the set would get as Lander scored the final six points to take the frame 25-19 and the match 3-1.

Lauren Hochstetler paced the Lions in the second game with 17 kills to go along with 15 digs, while Sally Anne Johnson knocked down 11 kills. Mary Kate Griffin added eight kills and 17 digs. Andie Russell posted 40 helpers.

The Lions will return to South Atlantic Conference action on Tuesday, October 18 as they play host to Tusculum College. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.