WISE – The opening day of the inaugural Cavalier Volleyball Classic was a long one but, UVA Wise wound up on the winning side of the scoreboard in the nightcap by outlasting Lees-McRae 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 26-24, 21-25, 15-10) to finish the day 1-1. Head Coach Alyssa Hanley's squad dropped the opener 3-1 (26-24, 25-20, 16-25, 25-15) to Concord. The Mountain Lions also scored a victory over Lees-McRae to be the only team to go 2-0 on day one.
UVA Wise (1-1) had a block party at the net en route to victory in the finale. The Cavaliers registered a NCAA Division II program era 21 blocks in the contest, 12 coming from senior Cassidy Farley who matched a career-high.
In the opening set, UVA Wise scored six of the set's final eight points to go in front. Farley had a trio of blocks and a kill in the decisive stretch.
Set two saw the Bobcats (0-2) overcome a 24-21 deficit to even the match. Destiny Holly had a kill and a block for Lees-McRae over the final five points to help tie the match.
The see-saw affair continued in the third set as the Cavs scored four of the final five points to regain the lead in the match. Sophomore Kaylee Scarce lined back-to-back kills before junior Dannah Persinger's block salted the set away.
Once more, the Bobcats tied the match as the visitors broke open a 15-15 tie with seven of the next eight points to force the fifth set.
After Lees-McRae's Patrycja Rykala scored the first point of the final set, it was all UVA Wise. The hosts would take a 7-2 lead behind a trio of blocks. The Bobcats would get to within one at 10-9 only to see Morgan Blevins post three kills in consecutive fashion to essentially put the match away.
Morgan Blankenship posted a career-high 14 kills with Scarce posting a double-double with 14 kills and 21 digs. Kamryn Livingston tied Lees-McRae's Lauren Xayavong for match-high dig honors with 24.
The Cavs opened the season and the first match with plenty of energy. Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Blankenship was scorching hot to start the match. In set one, the Cavs found themselves in control 20-16 late in the set. Of the first 20 points for UVA Wise, six came via kills from Blankenship. She would finish with a then career-high 13 kills, surpassing her previous mark of 10.
However, Blankenship's offense was not enough for the Cavs to ride on in the first set. After holding the 20-16 lead, the Mountain Lions would surge to retake the lead after a 6-0 scoring run, 22-20. Concord was able to finish off the set 26-24.
In the second set, Concord jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. They were led by freshman outside hitter Chloe Thompson who had five kills in the set and 13 total in her collegiate debut.
The Cavs made things interesting in the third set, dominating the Mountain Lions on both sides of the ball 25-16. However, Concord flipped the script in set three to put UVA Wise away for good.
It was the freshman that showed poise and promise in the opener for Concord. Thompson paired with fellow freshman, Meg Williams, to make a nice one-two punch at the net for the Mountain Lions. Williams finished with a game-high 18 kills while hitting .214 pct.
UVA Wise had three players in double-figure scoring. Junior outside hitter Kaylee Scarce led all Cavaliers with 15 kills on .146 hitting, while Blankenship and Preseason All-SAC selection Bailey Conner each added 13.
Hanley's team will return to play Saturday at 10 a.m. against Davis & Elkins College before wrapping up the event against Johnson C. Smith at 2 p.m.
