After falling to Valdosta State in the season opener earlier in the day, the Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team rebounded with a sweep of Converse to close the opening day of the Bears Tournament. Emmaleigh Allen had a game high 15 kills while Sydney Karjala had a double-double with 16 assists and 12 digs. The Bears will return to the court to play Mount Olive and USC Aiken tomorrow to conclude the two day tournament.

Converse’s lone lead in the first set was a brief 12-11 advantage but the Bears went on a quick 4-0 run and finished the set on a 13-6 spurt. LR took the first set 25-17. Taylor Osborne had five of her 12 kills in the opening set.

LR had runs of six and seven straight points in the second set as LR took the stanza 25-10. Park;ey Hennings had a pair of service aces in the set. The third set was back and forth as the Bears toughed out a 26-24 victory to finish the sweep. LR trailed 24-23 but rallied for the final three points culminating in a Karjala ace to seal the win.

LR hit .278% in the contest while holding Converse to an .050 hitting percentage. Lyndsie Warren had 13 digs to lead the team while Aasia McNeil added 10.

The Bears move to 7-0 all time against Converse. However, this was the first meeting since the 2015 season between this programs and just the second matchup since 2008.

This is the 465th all-time home game for LR. Converse Head Coach Alexis Ivey is a LR Volleyball Alumni. Ivey played at LR from 2016-2019.

The Bears will have a short turnaround as the Bears will host Mount Olive at 10 AM on Saturday.