Coach Alicia Riggan’s No. 8 ranked in NJCAA Division III squad is scheduled to play its fifth match in a row against upper division teams on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on Student Night when it entertains a Division II Lenoir CC team that is off to a 2-0 start.
“We will have a student section for student night,” Riggan said. “We plan to do pizza and freeze pops for students that come. We are excited to fill The Hangar. It’s always a good match up with Lenior CC.”
Flyers Miss Opportunity to Get the Jump on the Storm
Trailing 23-16 in the first set against the Division II Storm, a service ace by setter Sydney Garner set off a 9-1 run of points that gave the Lady Flyers a 25-24 lead before the home team pulled out the 27-25 win. Following a one-sided second set, the two teams were tied at 19-19 in the third before the Storm scored the final six points to complete the sweep.
Dajsha Fields, Caroline Bradford and Cassidy Jewett led the Flyers with seven kills each. Garner led in assists with 21. Libero Lainey Mullins was the leader in digs with 17, and middle blocker Ny’asia McKinnon was credited with four block solos and a pair of block assists.
Flyers Finish Day on a High Note
The Lady Flyers converted almost a quarter of their attacks in the first set to get off to a strong start in the sweep of USC Sumter.
Fields with eight, and Bradford with seven, were the leaders in kills against the Fire Ants. Garner led in assists with 15. Defensively, Mullins and Nicole Lambert were credited with 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
“We have started out with a tough few games,” Riggan said. “The girls are working hard and getting better every day. Our goal is always to get one percent better with each rep. The pace of the game is fast, and that’s the style we like.
“We have tomorrow off, and we will back in the gym bright and early on Monday to work on some of the things we struggled with the past few days. I’m excited for the direction we are headed.”
A number of the Lady Flyers are among the early season Division III leaders nationally in various statistical categories. Garner is first in assists (79), Cassidy Jewett is first in block solos (10), Mullins is second in digs (66), and Bradford and Fields are tied for second in kills (34). Mullins (13) and Garner (11) are third and fourth in service aces.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel contributor C. Bergmann. Photo contributed.
