Lady Flyers Start Fast Before Dropping Season Opener at Lenoir CC

The Sandhills Community College volleyball team was unable to maintain a dominant start and went on to drop a 25-9, 21-25, 17-25 and 23-25 decision to Lenior CC in its season-opener held in Kinston on Thursday.

"We had a lot of energy in the first set and then went into autopilot and you can't do that in volleyball," Coach Alicia Riggan, said early on Friday. "It's hard to win games with 34 kills and 25 hitting errors.

"We have practice this morning to work out some kinks and then it's on the road to South Carolina tomorrow."

The Lady Flyers meet host USC Lancaster at noon on Saturday, and USC Sumter at 2 p.m., in a tri-match held in Lancaster, SC. They are scheduled to entertain Guilford Tech at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, on Student Night, in their first match of the season at The Hangar.

An efficient 11-for-25 attacks, with only two kill errors, the Lady Flyers were barely challenged in taking the first set. They led 20-18 in the second before the Lancers scored seven of the final eight points to draw even.

Following a one-sided third, the Lady Flyers led 22-20 in the fourth set before the home team rallied to close out the match.

Freshman Olivia Barlowe led the Lady Flyers with seven kills. Sophomore MacKenzie Swett was credited with six kills and six block assists. Sophomore Keke Lawrence and freshman Dajsha Fields contributed five kills each.

Sophomore L'Asia Jackson was credited with 34 digs and freshman Lannah Huneycutt was the assist leader with 15 to go with 11 digs.

C. Bergmann