Women's Volleyball takes one set at Mars Hill

MARS HILL, N.C. – Lauren Bodell's career night on offense was not enough to put the Catawba College women's volleyball team past Mars Hill on Friday as the Lions took a 3-1 South Atlantic Conference victory.

TEAM STATS

- Mars Hill (9-8, 6-4 SAC) compiled a .166 hitting percentage while Catawba (3-13, 1-8 SAC) mustered a mark of .027

- The Catawba Indians held a tight 5-4 lead in service aces as both squads committed six service errors, but the Lions were superior in the accuracy department with a .938-.920 edge

- MHU doubled up Catawba in the blocking category at a 12-6 differential

- The visitors posted a higher success rate in reception (.956-.928) as MHU was favored in setting percentage (.273-.222)

- The Lions notched side-out percentages above 50 percent in each set, compared to Catawba who exceeded the benchmark once – the third set, a 25-22 win

INDIVIDUAL STATS

- Bodell led the blue and white with a career-high 16 kills while hitting .244, making two stops defensively including a solo block

- Sydney Wattles was extremely efficient with nine kills on 20 swings, posting a percentage of .350

- Haley Moffett tallied a career-best 35 assists with 14 digs for a double-double

- Catawba saw four different players land an ace as Kary Hales paced the team with two

- Riley Hill topped the dig category with 22 on a night when five Catawba Indians broke into double figures

- In blocking, Katie Clark made one solo stop and provided a pair of block assists

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set

- Early dominance established by Timmons Yates gave MHU a quick 9-2 lead before Catawba's first timeout produced a Moffett kill to break the serve

- Catawba pulled back in thanks to three kills and three blocks including solos by Clark and Lillie Kate Rogers, cutting the gap to 12-11 when the Lions opted for a timeout

- MHU weaved around Bodell and Rogers kills to create a 20-15 advantage culminating in back-to-back strikes by Skylar Ogden

- Kelcie Love dropped in a kill to interrupt the Lions' run, but an ace from Caroline Barber on set point was the deciding blow

Second Set

- Despite starting neck-and-neck for the opening eight rallies, hammering attacks from MHU and unforced errors plagued Catawba who slipped into a 12-7 hole

- Rogers and Wattles, who both finished the set with three kills, worked to keep the spread at five to the 18-13 mark

- Ioana Poenaru got involved in the scoring late but made a sizable impact with three kills in a small amount of time, then commanded service for six rallies

- At set point, a Clark kill broke up the flood before Ogden finished the job for MHU

Third Set

- Consecutive kills from Bodell, an ace by Hales, and a Clark-Bodell block helped Catawba open the frame with a 4-0 run

- MHU chipped away at the deficit, leveling the score at 9-9 when Katilyn Grant and Jada Cannon elevated for two stops in three points

- Unreturned Bodell attacks and Lion miscues were rivaled by MHU's firm blocking, keeping it nearly knotted until 20-20

- The ensuing three rallies featured a couple of kills and one block by Bodell to give Catawba enough insurance, setting up a Rachel Gonzales dart and Hill ace to bring the set score to 2-1

Fourth Set

- Bodell fired home the opening point, but MHU logged the following six including two kills by both Grant and Yates

- Catawba began closing in using Wattles' hot hand as the redshirt sophomore recorded four kills in a short span, getting one point away at 9-8

- A steady influx of points for the Lions provided ample breathing room despite Bodell's multiple side-out shots

- After back-to-back Catawba kills on match point, Grant finished it off for MHU to lock up the 3-1 triumph

UP NEXT

Catawba returns home for a rematch against the Lions tomorrow at 3 p.m.