McKENZIE, Tenn. – The Lindsey Wilson volleyball team shut down any hopes of a Bethel (Tenn.) comeback in Friday night's Mid-South match-up. After the Wildcats won the third set to force a fourth, the Blue Raiders pounded the hosts with a .500 hitting percentage and 15 kills to seal a 3-1 victory and remain unblemished in conference play.
The visitors hit .231 for the match and limited the homestanding 'Cats to .073 in an otherwise neck-and-neck battle.
Elisa Burzio recorded her third double-double in four matches, finishing with 10 kills and 11 digs, while
Bella Christófaro matched her teammates' offensive productivity with 10 kills of her own.
Laura Milori and
Ola Wyrzykowska paced the visitor's backline and produced 21 and 17 digs, respectively, and
Luiza Gonçalves and
Monika Szwarc each turned in 20-assist efforts.
Four quick kills aided Lindsey Wilson to a 7-0 lead in the first set. Bethel slowly crawled back to cut the deficit to 14-13 and eventually grabbed its first lead behind a four-point run to go ahead 22-21. Consecutive kills by Wyrzykowska restored the Blue Raiders' advantage before a combo block from
Elizabeth Moore and
Brenda Arango, followed by a Wildcat attack error won the set for Lindsey Wilson, 25-23.
Bethel posted the first point of the second set but quickly fell behind after kills from Moore and Arango. The Blue Raiders never surrendered their lead from there on out, despite continued pressure from the Wildcats. Costly offensive miscues hurt the home team late in the frame until
Savanah Pippin delivered a killing blow to give Lindsey Wilson a 25-21 set win.
Bethel made good use of an early lead to hold on and win the third set 25-22. The Wildcats led by as many as eight points and fending off the Blue Raiders as they managed to cut the score to 23-22.
In the fourth, the hosts pounced first and opened a 3-0 lead. A kill by Arango sparked a substantial 11-2 run and put Lindsey Wilson in control to finish it off.
The Blue Raiders conclude their regular season at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday at Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.).
