Lelm, Bedard Lead Racer Comeback Against Davidson

Friday, September 20

High Point, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

Murray State

8-4

Davidson

6-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Davidson	15	25	25	24	13	2
Murray State	25	21	21	26	15	3

9/20/2013 11:28:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Trailing 2-1 and facing match point in the fourth set, a Racer victory didn't seem likely. That's when Murray State dug deep and refused to quit, pulling out a win to tie the match and then another win in set No. 5 for their eighth win of the season. All five sets were close (25-15, 21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 15-13), but in the end it was the Racers who came out on top to improve to 8-4 on the season.

The score may not indicate it, but for a while set No. 1 was just as tight as the rest and set the stage for the whole match. After MSU jumped out to a 6-2 lead, the Wildcats quickly closed the gap and tied the set at 8-all. With the score 13-12 in favor of the Racers, Murray State went on a 7-0 run en route to a 25-15 win. Kamille Jones connected for seven of her career-high 15 kills in the first set including three in a row down the stretch to seal the win.

It was the Wildcats however and not the Racers who came out hot in the second set. With the score tied at five, Davidson scored five in a row to take a 10-5 lead and kept Murray State at bay after that. The Racers were able to get close, at one point trimming the lead to a single point, 22-21, but that's as close as they came as Davidson evened up the match with a 25-21 victory.

Set No. 3 was a near replay of the second with the Wildcats leading from start to finish. Like the set before, the Racers kept it close, never trailing by more than five points and again coming within a point of the lead at 22-21. But Davidson again scored the final three points for their second consecutive 25-21 set win.

Having just lost two hard fought battles, the Racers pressed on the accelerator early, roaring out to a 10-2 lead. But as the game wore on Davidson slowly started to climb back, eventually taking a 16-15 lead. The two teams traded points until the Wildcats held a 24-23 lead. After Coach Schwepker called a timeout, it was MSU's turn end the game with three straight points, two off kills from Alyssa Lelm to tie the match at 2-apeice.

The final set was a wild affair with neither team yielding to the other. With Davidson clinging to a small 7-6 lead, MSU flipped the script and scored four straight points to take the biggest lead of the set, 10-7. The lead was still three, 14-11, when the Wildcats cut it to one which caused another MSU timeout. Out of the timeout, Alyssa Lelm knocked down her 23^rd and final kill of the night to hand Murray State a well-deserved victory.

Following the match an elated Schwepker said, "I'm extremely proud of how the girls fought hard to stay in the match and come back strong in the fifth game to win it!"

Lelm's 23 kills were a career-high and the most by a Racer since 2011. Lelm was also remarkably efficient with a .512 attack percentage, the highest in a match with at least 20 kills since Abbi Gui landed 20 kills with a .562 attack percentage in 2002.

Scottie Ingram also had a career game, reaching the 20 kill plateau for the first time with 20 kills. She also collected 17 digs for her fourth double-double in her past six games.

Sam Bedard was at the center of all the action for MSU, handing out a career-high 65 assists. It was the most assists by a Racer in a single game since Jade Guo had 65 in 2010 and 2008. Cassie Chesney was the last Racer to eclipse 65 assists with 67 in 2007. Bedard also played a leading role on the defensive end, notching a game and career-high 25 digs.

Caroline Brown and Taylor Pisel led the Wildcats with 17 kills. Brown also finished with a team-high 24 digs.

The Racers have now won eight straight tournament games and will play two more tomorrow afternoon. MSU will clash with host school High Point at 12 and then take on North Carolina A&T at 4 p.m.