SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University volleyball team lost a hard fought five set match 3-2 on Friday night against the Lees-McRae Bobcats.
 
In the early moments of the first set the Bobcats held a 4-2 advantage against the Valkyries. A Kiara Cannon kill ignited a 4-0 run by Converse as they retook the lead over Lees-McRae. A few moments later and the Valkyries found themselves ahead 12-5 following a 6-0 run. Leading 18-9 late in the opening set, senior Elizabeth Yohe served out the set as the Valkyries took the opening stanza 25-9.
 
In the second set the Valkyries raced out to a 7-1 advantage as they fed off the energy from the home crowd. The two sides traded point for the majority of the set but the closest the Bobcats came to overtaking the Valkyries was at the 15-16 point of the second stanza. Converse used an 8-2 run to distance themselves from Lees-McRae as they went on to win the second set 25-19.
 
In the third set the Valkyries raced out to a 5-3 lead over the Bobcats. Lees-McRae did not back down however as they won the next four points and took a 9-6 advantage over the Valkyries. Converse attempted to retake the momentum but the Bobcats used long runs to take the crowd out of arena. Converse dropped the third set 25-21.
 
Once again in the fourth set the Valkyries found themselves with a 7-3 lead over the Bobcats. However, Lees-McRae won seven straight points and took a 10-7 advantage over the Valkyries. Converse once again attempted to regain the momentum in the set, but the Valkyries were never able to regain the momentum as they lost the fourth set 25-15.
 
After splitting the first eight points of the match, Lees-McRae began to pull away from the Valkyries in the fifth set. Trailing 11-5 the Valkyries attempted a small comeback, but it was to little to late as the Bobcats won the final set 15-9.
 
Savannah Ducote recorded a double-double in the loss for the Valkyries. The senior recorded a team best 30 assists and finished third on the team with 15 digs. Anna Rabon led the team with 14 kills, while Jasmine Finkley finished second on the team with 11. Elizabeth Yohe led the team with 29 digs and Mackenzie Day contributed 25 digs in the loss.
 
Next Up:
Converse will be back in action next Thursday night at home against Southern Wesleyan University. The match is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start time inside the Weisiger Center.    
 
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