BANNER ELK, N.C. – For just the third time in three years the Converse volleyball team lost a Northwest Division matchup when they fell to Lees-McRae 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss the Valkyries see their 10-match winning streak and unblemished conference record come to a close. Converse is now 11-7 overall and 9-1 in Conference Carolinas play this season. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae improves to 6-14 overall and 6-5 in Conference Carolinas action this year.
In the opening set the Valkyries began the match on a 6-2 run against the Bobcats. Lees-McRae rallied and made it close midway through the period, trailing the Valkyries 11-9. Converse got the momentum back and put the pressure on the Bobcats as they raced out to a 21-16 advantage. Converse held off a final push by the Bobcats and won the opening set 25-19.
Lees-McRae opened the second set on a 10-2 run against the Valkyries. Despite an early timeout the Valkyries were not able to gain any footing against the Bobcats offense as they built a 20-10 lead. Converse made a giant push at the end of the set as they rallied with a 12-4 run against Lees-McRae. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Bobcats held on to win the second set 25-22.
In the third set the two teams were evenly matched early in the period. Converse made the first move and built an 11-6 advantage over the Bobcats. A few points later and the script had flipped as the Bobcats reeled off seven straight points and held an 19-14 lead over the Valkyries. Converse responded with a 7-0 run of their own and retook the lead at 21-19. Converse held set point twice at 24-22 and 25-24 and watched Lees-McRae win the last three points of the period.
In the fourth set the two teams were once again evenly matched, but Converse once again made the first move and built a 13-8 advantage over Lees-McRae. A few moments later, the Valkyries offense built a 22-14 lead over the Bobcats and they cruised to a 25-17 fourth set victory.
Despite the momentum appearing to be on the side of the Valkyries it was Lees-McRae that jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the fifth set. Converse rallied and tied the set at six before the Bobcats countered with a run of their own. Staring at a 14-10 deficit in the fifth set the Valkyries fought and held off three straight match points. It was not enough, however, as Lees-McRae scored the 15
th point on the next play against the Valkyries.
Converse finished 73 points, 56 kills, 9 aces, 8 blocks, 50 assists and 46 digs.
Alayah Robertson led the team with 16 kills, Ariel Bryan was second on the team with 14 kills and
Ella Ruckman was third on the team with 11 kills.
Bryant led the team with a trio of service aces, while Robertson had a team best five blocks in the loss.
Alysha Arroyo led the team with 44 assists and
Scarlett Xiong had 14 digs for the Valkyries.
Next Up:
Converse will stay on the road this week with a midweek matchup at Belmont Abbey on Wednesday evening.
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