Volleyball Posts Sweep at Lenoir-Rhyne

HICKORY, NC -- Catawba went on the road and swept host Lenoir-Rhyne in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action on Tuesday night at Shuford Gym.  The Catawba Indians improve to 10-11 overall and 7-6 in the SAC, winning by the scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 29-27.  The Bears fall to 16-8 and 8-5.

Kaitlyn Whitmer (Ferrum, VA/Franklin Co. HS) tallied 16 kills and Rachel Gallup (Fredericksburg, VA/Courtland HS) added a dozen to help lead Catawba.   Carson Brewer (Raleigh, NC/Middle Creek HS/Cape Fear CC) added nine kills and 13 digs, while setter Jordan Raye (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) handed out 39 assists.

Catawba used a  three-point spurt midway through the opening set, getting two kills from Savannah Tomlinson (Remsenberg, NY/Southampton Beach HS/UNCG) sandwiched around one from Raye to go up 15-11.  The Bears would rally with four straight points which was capped by a kill from Ashley Wells to tie the set at 15.  Consecutive kills by Gallup put Catawba up 19-17, but Kayla Morrow answered with two kills to even it at 19. Wells pulled LR even at 23, but two errors gave the Lady Indians the opening set.

Lenoir-Rhyne scored the first four points of set two and let 11-5 after a kill from Joanna Whitmire.  Catawba would then go on a 10-point run to go on top behind the serving of Raye.  Gallup, Abby Pennington (Blacksburg, VA/Blacksburg HS) and Whitmer each had two kills in the run.  The Bears rallied after back-to-back kills from Wells and tied the set at 15.  A kill from Carson Brewer started a late 3-0 run that gave Catawba a 22-19 lead and the Lady Indians ran off the final three points on kills from Tomlinson, Pennington and Whitmer.

After trailing by three several times in the third set, Catawba would grab a 15-14 lead on a kill from Whitmer.  Neither team would hold a two-point edge until a pair of errors by Catawba allowed LR a 24-22 advantage.  Whitmer erased one set point with a kill and a Bear error evened the set at 24.  An ace by Jenny Young (Roanoke, VA/Henry HS) gave Catawba a match point, but LR denied the Lady Indians three times before a hitting error finally ended the match.

Catawba returns to Goodman Gym this weekend, hosting Anderson on Friday at 7 p.m. and Newberry on Saturday at 5 p.m.