Todd Ryals

Wildcats Swept on Senior Day

10/21/2017 5:52:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information - Brad Welborn

Box Score

The Louisiana College volleyball team played their final home match of the 2017 season on Saturday afternoon against LeTourneau University. It was also senior day for the lone Wildcat senior on the roster, middle hitter Taylor Payne. The final match in Pineville this year would not go the Wildcats way as the Yellow Jackets outlasted LC in three sets 25-20, 25-21, 25-23 to win the day. LC will make the trip to Belhaven University for their final conference match of the season before heading for Memphis, Tenn. for the Blues City Invite at Rhodes College to close the year.

The Wildcats found themselves down 3-0 at the start of the first set before Sadi Jones got the Cats on the board with a kill. The LETU lead remained the same through the majority of the set until the Wildcats found some moxie thanks to kills from Zharian Maxmillion and two from Paris Babino, to get them back within a point at 14-13. A timeout by LeTourneau halted the momentum and the Jackets came back out with a 7-2 run that all but put the first set away. LC made things interesting with four points on kills from Jones and Jaslyn Bright, as well as some LETU errors, but an LC serve into the net ended the first set 25-20 LETU.

The second frame started in the Wildcats favor, taking the lead on a kill and block form Jones, and getting another kill from Maxmillion. A 6-1 run by the Wildcats later in the set with back-to-back kills by Jones, put LC on top 15-11 and in the drivers seat to win the set. Down 17-14 it was LeTourneau that would make the play for the set with a string of eight straight points to put them in the lead 22-17. The Wildcats did not quit and scored four points on a pair of kills from Brennen Parker and Taylor Payne, but they did not have enough to make it all the way back and LETU took the second 25-21.

The third set was the closest contested of the afternoon, with the Wildcats enjoying the lead through much of the start of the frame. Ahead by four on a kill from Bright, the Wildcats saw their lead shift in the blink of an eye as the Jackets put together a 6-1 run to take the two-point lead at 17-15. LC answered and tied the set with the next two points, but LETU would go back up 23-19 over the next few attempts. A quick three-point swing got LC back to within a point on an ace from Paris Babino at 23-22, but the Wildcats could not extend the set as LETU got two kills off LC serves to win the set and the match 25-23.

Sadi Jones led LC with 10 kills, followed by seven each from Jaslyn Bright and Taylor Payne. Paris Babino had 27 asssits in the match, and both Olivia Huval and Sadi Jones had double-digit digs with 14 and 10 respectively. Jones was also a presence at the net with four blocks in the match.

The Wildcats finish American Southwest Conference play on Tuesday at Belhaven, before ending the year with three matches at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. next weekend. For the latest on Louisiana College volleyball follow them on Twitter @LC_wvolleyball or like them on Facebook.

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