Lions down in Wolves in four to open SAC weekend play

MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill volleyball team (6-4, 5-2 SAC) defeated visiting Newberry (3-7, 1-5 SAC) Friday evening in four sets inside Chambers Gymnasium and Stanford Arena.

Trailing early in the first set by a score of 6-3, the Lions reeled off 11 straight points to take a 14-6 advantage midway through the frame.  Sally Anne Johnson recorded four kills in the run while Sara Pasour recorded two of her game-high seven aces.

Newberry began to claw their way back into the second late, going on a 5-2 run to pull within three points, but Mars Hill would take five of the last six points of the set to take a 2-0 lead heading into the third set.

The Wolves cut into the Lions lead by taking the third set, 25-18.  The turning point came when the set was tied at 12.  A Newberry 6-1 run gave the Wolves a five-point edge and continued their momentum late with kills from Toni-Anne Whitlow and Katie Ullsperger pacing their offense.

To close out the contest, the Lions found their groove once more as they pulled away midway through the frame.  Three separate 3-0 runs provided Mars Hill an 18-8 lead late.  The Wolves answered by stringing together runs of their own, however, the large Lions' lead held true as Mars Hill found themselves on the winning side for sixth time this season.

Lauren Phillips led the Lions with 12 kills followed by Sarah Goddard's 11 on the night.  Johnson ended the night with nine kills and two blocks.  Pasour's well-rounded performance saw her rack up 20 assists, eight digs, seven aces and two kills.

Mars Hill returns to the court in less than 24 hours as they host Anderson in another key South Atlantic Conference contest.  First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.