BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The (RV) Blue Raider volleyball team opened play at the Vette City Classic on Friday with a pair of tightly contested decisions.
Match One: (RV) Lindsey Wilson 3, Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 1
Lindsey Wilson rebounded from a one-set deficit to knock off the Blue Devils in four.
After falling behind late in the opening set and dropping it 25-18, the Blue Raiders opened the second with a 3-1 lead behind kills from
Luisina Sandrone Tais and
Tully Bew. Lawrence Tech responded with a 10-7 advantage before back-to-back kills from
Parker Sutherland and
Rachel Kilchenmann sparked a three-point run to even the score at 10-10. A series of Blue Devil miscues down the stretch helped Lindsey Wilson pull ahead, and the Blue Raiders held on for a 25-22 victory.
The third set featured a back-and-forth battle, with Lindsey Wilson's early 5-1 advantage proving to be the largest lead for either side the remainder of the set. With the score tied 24-24, Lawrence Tech earned a set-point opportunity, but consecutive kills from
Brooke Robinson and Bew kept the Blue Raiders alive. The Blue Devils erased one Lindsey Wilson set point before Robinson delivered another kill, followed by a Lawrence Tech error, to give the Blue Raiders a 28-26 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set came down to the wire. Knotted at 22-22, Robinson took over with two kills and a service ace to clinch the frame 25-22 and win the match.
The sophomore paced Lindsey Wilson with 15 kills, seven digs, two blocks, and two aces.
Addison Janes recorded a double-double of 20 assists and 12 digs, and
Momo Hampton posted 22 digs.
Match Two: (RV) Lindsey Wilson 2, LSU Shreveport 3
The Pilots held a 24-22 advantage in the opening set with a chance to take an early lead, but a kill from Bew sparked a 5-1 Blue Raider run that allowed Lindsey Wilson to steal the set, 27-25.
Sofija Pjevic led the charge offensively with five kills in the opening frame, setting the tone for a career-best performance. She finished the match with 17 kills on 23 attacks, hitting an impressive .652.
LSU Shreveport held a 10-7 lead in the second set before Pjevic struck from the middle to ignite a 6-0 Blue Raider run. Lindsey Wilson maintained control from there, hitting .333 as a team to claim the set, 25-17.
The Pilots found their offensive rhythm in the third and fourth sets, including a .419 hitting percentage in the fourth frame to force a decisive fifth set.
Despite Lindsey Wilson holding a .368-.227 advantage in hitting during the tiebreaker, LSU Shreveport gained the deciding edge from the service line, recording four aces to secure the match.
Sandrone Tais added 15 kills to aid the Blue Raider offense, while Janes and Kilchenmann collected 25 and 14 assists, respectively.
Hampton ended the contest with a career-high 36 digs.
Lindsey Wilson returns to Ephram White Gym at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, August 29 to take on Keiser (Fla.), then at 4:30 p.m. CT against Indiana East.
