COLUMBIA, Ky. - The Lindsey Wilson volleyball team split a pair of four-set matches inside Biggers Sports Center on Saturday, bookending a quartet of contests with two different results.
Match One: Lindsey Wilson 3, Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) 1
The Blue Raiders held the Toppers to a hitting percentage of .000 or lower in three of the four sets during Saturday morning's contest.
Blue Mountain jumped out to an 11-9 lead in the opening frame. Following a timeout, a string of Topper errors and consecutive kills by Tully Bew and Gabi Zuquelo gave Lindsey Wilson a 15-12 advantage. The visitors rallied to tie the score at 16-16, but the Blue Raiders closed the set on a 9-2 run to claim a 25-18 victory.
Lindsey Wilson cruised through the second set behind a blistering 16-0 start. Kennedy Moone spearheaded the run from the service line with three aces, while Zuquelo added four kills. The Blue Raiders closed the set with three consecutive points, highlighted by kills from Natalie Wandrie and Ava Blomenberg and a Topper miscue, to take the frame 25-8.
Blue Mountain found its rhythm offensively in the third set to force a fourth. However, the Toppers' accuracy faltered against the Blue Raiders' stout net-front presence. Lindsey Wilson recorded four of its nine blocks in the final frame, including the match-clinching point by Parker Sutherland and Luisina Sandrone Tais.
With the score tied at 15-15, a Blue Mountain Christian hitting error sparked a seven-point run by Lindsey Wilson, including two blocks from Duda Becho. The Toppers managed just three more points, allowing the Blue Raiders to secure the fourth set 25-18 and the match.
Sandrone Tais hit .318 with 19 kills, 12 digs, and three blocks. Addison Janes finished with 36 assists and 12 digs, and Momo Hampton led all defensive specialists with 17 digs.
Match Two: Lindsey Wilson 1, (RV) Fisk (Tenn.) 3
Fisk jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, building a 10-7 advantage before extending its margin to 17-12. Lindsey Wilson trimmed the deficit to six points late, but the visitors held on to take the frame 25-18. Sandrone Tais led the Blue Raiders with five kills in the set, while Zuquelo added three.
The Blue Raiders responded in the second set, overcoming an early 9-5 deficit to even the score at 17-17. Lindsey Wilson continued to battle through a tightly contested finish, with consecutive kills from Bew and Sandrone Tais helping the Blue Raiders take a 24-23 lead. Sandrone Tais then delivered the set-clinching kill to even the match at one set apiece.
Fisk regained the advantage in the third set, but Lindsey Wilson rallied from a 9-3 deficit to take an 11-9 lead behind a strong service run from Sandrone Tais. The teams traded points throughout the remainder of the frame, with the score tied at 22-22 late. Fisk scored three of the final four points, including an ace and a kill, to claim the set 25-23.
The fourth set featured another back-and-forth battle, with 15 ties and six lead changes. Fisk held a 17-14 advantage before the Blue Raiders rallied to pull within two points at 19-17. Lindsey Wilson then used a pair of aces from Moone and a kill from Sandrone Tais to take a 21-20 lead. Fisk answered with a 5-1 run to move within one point of the match, and the visitors ultimately closed out the set 25-23.
Sandrone Tais paced the Blue Raiders with 18 kills, 14 digs and two service aces. Bew added 15 kills, while Zuquelo recorded 12 kills. Janes finished with 38 assists, and Hampton led the defensive effort with 19 digs. Sutherland contributed six kills and a team-high five blocks.
Lindsey Wilson opens Mid-South Conference play at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10th-ranked Cumberlands (KY).
