Lions fall to Wingate in SAC Semifinal
Mars Hill reached SAC Semifinal for first time since 2011.
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Mars Hill volleyball team (17-10) was defeated by Wingate (27-2) in straight sets Thursday afternoon at the 2024 South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Semifinals, hosted in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Wingate, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, opened the match on a 6-1 run, creating a gap they would protect all throughout the set. The Bulldogs hit .209 as a team with 14 kills. Mars Hill, the No. 4 seed, knocked down 11 kills in the set.
In a more tightly contested second set, Wingate hit a match-high .326, pulling away from the Lions late in the frame. Mars Hill hit a team-best .167 with 15 kills.
A back-and-forth affair in the third saw a pivotal challenge late in the set turn the score from a 23-22 Bulldogs' advantage to a 24-21 Wingate lead. Despite the Lions getting the next point off of a kill from Cat Bodick, Wingate closed the match out on the next rally, advancing to the SAC Championship match on Friday, November 22.
Elsa Lamphere led all players with 14 kills while hitting .294. The SAC Player of the Year, Sydney Morland, added nine kills on 21 attempts with no errors, hitting a match-high .429.
For Mars Hill, Jada Cannon's 11 kills led the way offensively. Katilyn Grant added seven followed by six from Skylar Ogden. Laela Jimenez, an All-SAC First Team selection, led all players with 25 digs while Alyssa Kornegay, an All-SAC Freshman Team selection, led Mars Hill with 19 assists.
Mars Hill concludes the season with a 17-10 record, winning 12 of their last 14 matches which included an eight-game win streak. Their only two loses came at the hands of the nationally ranked No. 23 Wingate Bulldogs.
The semifinal appearance marked their first since 2011 and their tournament appearance marked their eighth straight. Mars Hill tied for third in the SAC, their highest finish in the league in over a decade.
