Mars Hill sweeps L-R on road in season opener

HICKORY, N.C. - The Mars Hill volleyball team (1-0, 1-0 SAC) swept Lenoir-Rhyne (1-1, 1-1 SAC), 3-0, on the road Friday evening to open their 2021 spring campaign.

With the first set tied at four, Mars Hill went on a 4-0 run led by two kills from Eriana Ansley.  Grace Lilly added a service ace before a Bears' timeout was called.  Later in the frame, the Lions went on another run, 5-0, with Jana Cuk knocking down two kills while Sarah Goddard and Lauren Phillips each added one, pushing the Lions' lead to 14-7.

Trailing 18-10, Lenoir-Rhyne stormed back on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two.  The Bears only recorded two kills during the run, taking advantage of four Mars Hill errors.  A kill from Ansley quelled the Bears' momentum and began a 4-0 run that saw the Lions carry a 22-16 lead into the later portion of the set.

Mars Hill found themselves down 8-5 in the second before a 10-1 run saw them lead 15-9 midway through the frame.  Lenoir-Rhyne committed five attack errors while Kelly Jakaitis slammed down three kills.

The Lions never looked back in the second, maintaining the lead for the remainder of the set, going up 2-0 after another attack error by the Bears.

The third set saw both teams' best hitting frames as the Lions hit .216 to Lenoir-Rhyne's .194. 

Tied at seven in the third, the Lions once again reeled off a 5-0 run, highlighted by kills from Phillips and Cuk.  Mars Hill held the lead for the remainder of the game despite a late push by the Bears who went on a 4-0 run to cut the margin to 18-17 as Taylor Prall knocked down two kills.

The Lions won six of the last seven points to secure the win, including back-to-back kills from Cuk to clinch.

Prall led all players with 16 kills and added 10 digs for the double-double.  Ashley Hawkins added eight kills and a game-high 17 digs.  Braelyn Faust had four block assists.

Cuk, in her Lions' debut, led the Lions with 10 kills and hit .600 on the night.  She added one block solo and one block assist.  Jakaitis recorded a career-high eight kills followed by Lilly and Phillips' seven apiece.  Ully Martins and Jordan Schmucker each collected 15 digs while Schmucker and Sara Pasour added 16 assists apiece.

Mars Hill hosts UVA Wise in their home opener on Wednesday, March 3.  First serve is set for 7 p.m.