MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The LeMoyne-Owen College women's volleyball team showed plenty of fight Tuesday evening, pushing Oakwood University to five sets before ultimately falling 3-2 inside Bruce-Johnson Hall.
The Lady Magicians captured the first and third sets but were unable to finish off the Ambassadors, who escaped Memphis with a 20-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-17, 15-9 victory.
Despite the loss, LOC held the advantage in several statistical categories. The Lady Magicians finished with 50 kills compared to Oakwood's 43, while also leading the Ambassadors in assists, 44-37, digs, 73-67, and blocks, 9-8. However, Oakwood's advantage from the service line and LOC's attacking errors proved costly. The Ambassadors recorded 14 service aces compared to eight for LeMoyne-Owen, while the Lady Magicians committed 29 attack errors.
LeMoyne-Owen opened the match with one of its strongest offensive sets of the night. The Lady Magicians recorded 14 kills and hit .225 as a team to secure a 25-20 victory in the opening frame. Oakwood answered in the second set, taking advantage of nine LOC attack errors and holding the Lady Magicians to a .026 hitting percentage en route to a 25-19 win.
The Lady Magicians responded with their best offensive performance of the match in the third set. LOC registered 13 kills against just four errors on 30 attempts for an impressive .300 hitting percentage, while holding Oakwood to a .000 hitting percentage. That effort helped LeMoyne-Owen take the set 25-22 and move within one set of securing the match.
Oakwood refused to go away, however. The Ambassadors forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-17 victory in the fourth. In the final frame, Oakwood produced its most efficient offensive stretch of the night, recording eight kills with only one error on 16 attempts for a .438 hitting percentage. LOC managed five kills with four errors and hit .048 as Oakwood closed the match with a 15-9 victory.
Freshman Kennedy White delivered one of her strongest all-around performances of the young season for LeMoyne-Owen. White led the Lady Magicians with 12 kills while hitting .290, and she added 18 digs, four service aces and a block. Her 17 total points also led LOC.
Madelyn Ross continued to display her versatility, finishing with nine kills, a team-high 21 assists, six digs, two blocks and one ace. Abbie Chatman added 17 assists and 11 digs to help direct the LOC offense.
Defensively, freshman Makayla Smith led the Lady Magicians with 19 digs while also contributing three service aces. At the net, Rylee Foerster finished with eight kills on a .235 hitting percentage and a team-high three blocks, while Jordan Williams added nine kills and two blocks.
The match showed the Lady Magicians' ability to compete in a tightly contested battle, but consistency ultimately separated the two teams. LOC outproduced Oakwood in kills, assists, digs and blocks, yet the Ambassadors were able to capitalize on service pressure and LeMoyne-Owen's attack errors at critical moments.
LeMoyne-Owen will remain in Memphis for its next challenge as the Lady Magicians prepare to compete in the CBU Invitational, hosted by Christian Brothers University, Sept. 11-12.
The Lady Magicians will open tournament play against Southern New Hampshire University on Sept. 11 at 9:00 a.m.before returning to the court later that afternoon to face Quincy University at 1:00 p.m. LOC will conclude the tournament on Sept. 12 against Claflin University at 3:00 p.m.
The CBU Invitational will provide another opportunity for the Lady Magicians to continue developing against strong nonconference competition before turning their attention toward SIAC play.
FOLLOW THE SIAC
Stay connected by following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Facebook, Instagram and X @TheSIAC.
SIAC NEWS
Sign up for SIAC News to be among the first to receive media releases, updates and more!
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) headquartered in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.