SPRINGFIELD, Ill. --- The Mississippi College volleyball team drew a split in the opening day of the University of Illinois Springfield Capital Classic. MC claimed a 3-1 win in the opening against Concord, but fell 3-0 to Lindenwood to close out its action for the day.
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Vs. CONCORD
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KEY NOTES
The victory in the season opener is the first for the program since 2014 when MC swept Rust College 3-0.
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A pair of Lady Choctaws notched double-doubles in the match.
Shelby Grace Mays grabbed her second career double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs while
Amanda Torres dished out a team-best 20 assists and garnered 12 digs.
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Krista Zieschang led the Lady Choctaws with 15 kills – matching her career-high, while
Kayana Mitchell added 11 kills.
Madison Kimes registered a team-best 24 digs while
Julia Martin added a career-high 11.
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Gracie Liljenquist made her debut for the Lady Choctaws in the opening match of the day against Concord University. The Dyersburg, Tenn., native recorded six kills and seven assists in her introduction.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Mississippi College took control of the match in the third set claiming a 25-15 win to take a 2-1 lead. The Lady Choctaws opened with a 26-24 win in the first set, but fell 25-23 in the second set to even the match.
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MC rallied from 14-9 in the fourth set to knot the contest at 18-all on a kill by Zieschang. The spurt headlined a 16-6 run to clinch the set and match.
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The Lady Choctaws fought off set-point, at 24-23, in the opening set of the match and used back-to-back kills from Zieschang and Mitchell to claim the opening point.
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Vs. LINDENWOOD
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KEY NOTES
Brandi Bundi,
Hannah Rue and
Jill Brown made their MC debuts. Bundy and Rue became the second and third freshmen to start this season for the Navy and Gold.
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Mays posted double figure kills for the second time on the day with 13 kills, tying her mark from the outing against Concord. Torres dished out 19 assists – one off her season-high from earlier in the day. Brown led the squad with 14 digs. Four Lady Choctaws recorded at least a block led by Mitchell with a pair.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
After MC dropped the first set 25-19, the two squads stood deadlocked at 11 in the second set. However, a 10-2 run by the Lions sparked a run that saw LU claim a 25-17 win despite MC fighting off three consecutive, set-points.
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MC trailed 20-10 in the third set, but worked its way back into the contest with seven straight points to cut the deficit to 20-17. MC pulled within 23-22, but LU garnered the final two points of the set to clinch the match sweep.
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NEXT UP
Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 2 as it faces Ohio Valley University at 9 a.m. and closes out their action in the Classic against the host UIS at 1 p.m.
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