SHREVEPORT, La. – The Louisiana Christian University volleyball team lost 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-17) to the LSU Shreveport Pilots Saturday afternoon at The Dock.
Kourtlyn Smith led Louisiana Christian (5-14, 4-6 RRAC) with 11 kills and a .250 hitting percentage, while
Holly Rowe supplied nine kills, hit .368 and added five service aces and a solo block.
Emma Cother connected the offense with 25 assists while also leading LCU with 11 digs.
Yadneli Molina contributed nine digs and four assists.
LCU fell behind LSU Shreveport (12-9, 7-3 RRAC) 6-0 in the opening set and later faced an 18-5 deficit before putting together a rally. A kill by
Kourtlyn Smith capped four consecutive Wildcats points to narrow the margin to 19-11. After falling behind 22-11, LCU continued to extend the set, saving three consecutive set points on two attack errors and a setting error to reach 24-18 before surrendering the final point.
The Wildcats opened the second set with four straight points, getting two kills apiece from Rowe and Smith. A solo block by Rowe stretched the lead to 8-3. LCU produced its strongest attacking set with 14 kills and a .205 hitting percentage, but an 18-15 advantage disappeared during a 10-point closing run. Three consecutive blocks helped turn the lead into a 19-18 deficit and prompted a Wildcats timeout.
Rowe delivered five consecutive service aces to give LCU a 5-0 start in the third set. The Wildcats then yielded eight straight points, including seven aces. Trailing 15-9, LCU cut the deficit to three through a kill by Rowe and two opponent attack errors. Another kill by Rowe, assisted by Cother, brought the Wildcats within 22-17 before two kills and a block ended the match.
Alanah Dugar finished with five kills and five digs.
Kylie Elmore added six digs and an ace, while
Shanoa Mitch recorded five digs and a block assist.
Joie Goodwin supplied the other block assist, and
Vivien Brouillette and
Mallory Wills contributed three and two kills, respectively.
LCU totaled 30 kills, eight aces, 41 digs and two team blocks, finishing with a .140 hitting percentage after 16 attack errors in 100 attempts.
The Wildcats come back home for a pair of matches against Our Lady of the Lake. The weekend opener against the Saints (12-12, 8-4 RRAC) is set for 6 p.m. on Friday on Gene Rushing Court at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
