Senior Whitney Justice posted a match-high nine kills, and Dana Oliver recorded 12 digs to lead the top-seeded Lees-McRae College (LMC) women's volleyball team to a three-set sweep of second-seeded Erskine College in the championship match of the 2010 Conference Carolinas Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 14.
LMC (25-7) won the match by scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-12 to punch the program's 12th ticket to the NCAA Division II women's volleyball championship in the last 13 years, while also capturing the 12th Conference Carolinas Tournament championship in school history. LMC posted a solid .235 hitting percentage in the match, while also tallying seven blocks and holding the Flying Fleet (20-11) to a .063 clip on the attack.
Justice posted a match-high nine kills, along with a sterling .412 hitting percentage, to earn Tournament MVP honors. Megan Epperson and Taylor Clendenin tallied seven and six kills, respectively, while Megan Mitchell chipped in five kills and 26 assists. Oliver and Lauren Fox recorded match-highs of 12 digs and four blocks.
Lauren Stewart led the way for the Flying Fleet with nine kills, while Sandra Campbell and Mary Crawford James chipped in eight and six kills, respectively. Larz Chabra posted a match-high 28 assists, while Jamie Murray and Alison Albers chipped four and three blocks, respectively.
Justice, Mitchell, and Epperson each earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, while Erskine's Chabra and Albers represented the Flying Fleet. Barton's Melissa Ritter and Queens' Brittney Barren rounded out the All-Tournament performers.
The two teams battled back and forth in the first set, with LMC opening an early 7-2 lead before Erskine countered with a 7-2 spurt of its own to even the score at 9-9. After a pair of quick points by the Bobcats and an answering marker by the Flying Fleet, LMC launched a 5-0 spurt to take a 16-10 lead on an Erskine miscue.
LMC extended the lead to 21-12 on back-to-back service aces from Mitchell before Erskine answered, launching a 9-3 spurt to cut the margin to 24-21 on an ace from Julie Jackson. LMC then took the set on an Erskine attack error to claim an early 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set started in much the same fashion as the first, with neither team able to claim a significant lead until, with the score at 14-13 in favor of LMC, the Bobcats launched a 6-3 spurt to claim a 20-16 margin on a kill from Clendenin. LMC stretched the margin to 24-18 before Erskine responded with a valiant effort, overcoming five set points to close the gap to 24-23. Mitchell then delivered the deciding point, placing a perfect dump into the center of the Erskine court to give LMC a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
LMC carried the momentum into the third set, opening the frame with a 13-3 run that was capped by an emphatic kill from Fox. Erskine clipped the margin to 14-6 on a pair of LMC miscues before the Bobcats regained control, launching a 6-2 run to open a 20-8 lead. LMC then tallied five of the final nine points of the set to claim the set, match, and tournament title on a kill by Clendenin.
LMC is the eighth seed in this week's NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament, NCAA officials announced on Sunday, Nov. 14 with the release of the 64-team field.
LMC will square off against top-seeded Wingate University (28-1) on Friday, Nov. 19, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. Wingate enters the NCAA Tournament as the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament champion, carrying a 26-match winning streak into the regional. LMC enters the tournament on a nine-match winning streak, having won each of its 21 matchups against conference opponents this season.
Flagler College (26-8) is the second seed, and will play seventh-seeded and Peach Belt Conference foe Armstrong Atlantic State University (22-12) in the first round. Tusculum College (25-6) is the third seed, making its second straight and second overall NCAA Tournament appearance. The Pioneers will face archrival and sixth-seeded Carson-Newman College (19-10) in the opening round. Fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial University (23-7) and fifth-seeded University of Montevallo (23-11) round out the first round matchups, and will square off in Friday's opening round.
LMC is in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history, having recorded the fourth undefeated season in Conference Carolinas history with a perfect 18-0 mark against league opponents.
Women’s Basketball: Bobcat Rally Falls Short in Exhibition at Milligan
The Milligan College women's basketball team held off a furious second-half rally by LMC on Thursday, Nov. 11, en route to a 73-59 win in an exhibition contest.
LMC and Milligan combined for 105 rebounds, as the Lady Buffaloes bested the Bobcats on the glass by a 62-43 margin, including a 19-9 advantage on the offensive boards. Johneshia Good recorded a game-high 18 points for Milligan to lead three players in double figures, while LMC's Sophia Witte posted a contest-best 12 rebounds.
Jaimee Hill chipped in 14 points for Milligan, while Heather Mandela posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Alisha Mainer chipped in 11 boards of her own, while Mandela and Good posted game-highs of four blocks and four assists, respectively.
Megan Tate paced LMC with 12 points, knocking down a trio of three-pointers, while Witte and Paige Whitaker chipped in nine and seven points, respectively. Witte also posted a game-high four blocks, while Kasey Haynes added a contest-best four steals.
Milligan started off strong, opening an early 8-2 lead on a three-pointer by Victoria Dailey before extending the margin to 17-6 with a triple from Dorian Freeman at the 10:57 mark on the heels of a 9-4 run. LMC fought back, cutting the lead to 24-16 on a trey by Tate before Milligan launched a 14-10 spurt to take a 38-26 lead into the intermission.
MC carried the momentum into the second half, stretching the margin to a game-high 17 points, taking a 43-26 lead with a 5-0 spurt to open the half. LMC answered, launching a furious 19-6 run over the next seven minutes to cut the margin to 49-47 on a jumper by Haynes with 10:44 remaining.
Milligan responded, answering with a 12-5 run over the next six minutes to open a 61-52 lead on s Good jumper with 4:51 to play. LMC rallied once again, cutting the margin to 61-58 with a 6-0 run before the Lady Buffaloes answered again, closing out the win with 12-1 run over the final three and a half minutes.
LMC returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Nov. 18, when it opens its season at home against Tennessee Wesleyan University. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium.
