BANNER ELK, N.C. – The Shorter Volleyball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship in a thrilling five-set victory over Lees-McRae (19-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-12) on Friday night at Williams Gymnasium.
The hosts jumped out to a strong start in the opening set, taking an early 8-3 advantage. Shorter struggled to find its offensive rhythm as the Bobcats continued to extend their lead, eventually building a 16-7 advantage. The Hawks began to chip away at the deficit, using a late surge to cut the lead to three at 20-17. However, Lees-McRae held off the comeback attempt to secure the opening set, 25-19.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish, with neither side able to create much separation early. Shorter began to find its footing, building a 14-10 advantage behind a balanced offensive attack. The Bobcats responded with a late run to reclaim the lead at 19-17, setting up a dramatic finish. Trailing 24-23,
Caroline Sivills delivered a crucial kill to even the score before Lees-McRae regained the advantage. The Hawks refused to back down, fighting off another set point before
Reaghan Whitlock delivered a clutch service ace to give Shorter a 26-25 lead. A Bobcat attack error on the following point sealed the 27-25 victory and evened the match at one set apiece.
The third set featured another tightly contested battle, as both teams traded points throughout the opening stages. Shorter managed to build a 14-11 advantage, but the hosts continued to battle back, eventually evening the score at 16-16. Neither team could pull away until Lees-McRae used a late surge to take a 24-20 lead. The Hawks fought to stay alive, but the Bobcats closed out the frame, 25-21, to reclaim a 2-1 advantage.
Facing elimination, Shorter responded with its strongest performance of the night in the fourth set. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead and continued to build momentum behind an efficient offensive attack. Leading 15-12 midway through the frame, Shorter began to create separation, extending its advantage to 21-14. The Hawks never looked back, closing out the set with a 25-17 victory to force a decisive fifth frame.
With the match hanging in the balance, both teams traded blows throughout the fifth set. Neither side could establish a comfortable advantage, as the score remained tight deep into the frame. After Lees-McRae evened the score at 11-11, Sivills delivered a crucial kill to put the Hawks back in front. The Bobcats answered to tie the score once again at 12-12, but Shorter responded with three consecutive points. A block from
Emily Drier and
Taylor-Reese Howell gave the Hawks match point before Drier delivered the final blow with a kill to secure the 15-12 victory and complete the comeback.
Sivills led the Hawks offensively with a match-high 20 kills while hitting an impressive .366 and adding seven block assists. Drier followed with 10 kills and eight total blocks, while
Ava Medina contributed seven kills on a .368 hitting percentage and five total blocks.
Helena Kelley directed the offense with 31 assists and eight digs, while
Brielle Wood added 14 assists. Defensively,
Caitlyn Sutton anchored the Hawks with a match-high 27 digs as Shorter finished with 16 total team blocks.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will face #2 Converse in the quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship on Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m.
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