PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University volleyball team rallied from a rough first set to win sets two and three and then, after dropping the fourth set in heartbraking fashion, rallied in the fifth to defeat the LSU Shreveport Pilots 3-2 (16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 33-35, 15-10) Wednesday night on Gene Rushing Court at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
Kourtlyn Smith led Louisiana Christian (6-19, 5-11 RRAC) with 17 kills, while
Alanah Dugar delivered 12 kills on .303 hitting, 10 digs and five block assists.
Emma Cother distributed 43 assists as the Wildcats finished with 51 kills. LCU paired its attack with 15 service aces and 13 total blocks.
The Wildcats recovered from an early 6-2 deficit to LSU Shreveport (17-10, 12-4 RRAC) to tie the opening set at 10 before falling behind 22-12. Their second-set response began with a six-point service run by
Shanoa Mitch, capped by a Dugar kill for an 8-2 lead. LCU later trailed 18-15, but consecutive kills by Smith,
Mallory Wills and Cother turned a 20-18 deficit into a 21-20 advantage. From 21-21, the Wildcats scored four straight points, with Wills and Smith combining on the set-ending block.
Mitch took over at the service line in the third set, delivering five consecutive aces to break an 8-8 tie. The run extended to a 14-8 lead, and LCU hit .350 with eight kills against one attack error in the set. Wills finished the 25-17 victory with an ace. Mitch totaled nine aces without a service error and added seven digs.
LCU mounted another comeback in the fourth set after trailing 18-10. Two consecutive Mitch aces helped trim the deficit to 19-15, and a three-point burst later put the Wildcats ahead 24-23 for their first match point. They continued trading chances deep into extra points, with a Wills-Smith block providing another match point at 33-32. LCU surrendered the next three points, sending the match to a deciding set despite recording 17 kills in the fourth.
The Wildcats regrouped quickly in the fifth. Dugar finished a four-point run with a kill for a 6-2 lead, then teamed with
Vivien Brouillette on a block that made it 8-4. LCU hit .400 in the deciding set, producing seven kills with one attack error.
Joie Goodwin converted a Cother assist to reach match point at 14-10 before Dugar supplied the winning kill.
Yadneli Molina anchored the backcourt with 19 digs, and Cother contributed eight. Wills finished with seven block assists and three aces, while Brouillette added five block assists.
Holly Rowe supplied eight kills and four block assists.
The Wildcats continue their four-match homestand on Friday as Texas College comes to Pineville for LCU's final two home matches of the season. Opening serve of Friday's contest against the Steers (2-22, 0-15 RRAC) is set for 6 p.m. on Gene Rushing Court at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
