#5 LLCC faced off with Carolina's finest, 4^th ranked Catawba Valley, to start the LLCC Challenge, and the match proved to be another epic contest.  The first set saw the two teams trade points until 5-5 when a backrow collapse of communication by the Loggers let Catawba pull out from 9-5, before the Loggers righted themselves on the hitting of Addie Patton, pulling even at 11.  The two teams traded points the rest of the way until finally LLCC won 25-23 with a Brea Cunningham ace (one of four) and a Kiersten Anderson kill (one of a match high 12), but teams are ranked for a reason and Catawba Valley came back quickly putting down several kills in two five-point streaks, building a 6-1 lead and then stretching a 10-5 lead out to 20-10, earning a 25-17 victory.  For the third set, the two teams traded points until an Addie Patton kill on an overpass opened a three point margin to 12-9 which the Loggers quickly extended with blocks by Anderson and Cunningham, finishing Catawba Valley off with two Kendall Knop aces.  Again though the Carolinians returned, trading points with LLCC until 3-3 before going on a six point run and then another where they built the lead to 22-6, the largest lead held against a Loggers team since 2009.  The set ended 15-25. That led to a fifth set where LLCC was able to build a lead on aggressive serving by Kaylee Beekman, a kill by Patton, and some missed serves by the opponents.  LLCC led from start to finish, winning the contest 15-10.   "It was a great match, one I'd have been happy to pay to see.  Those matches where you get a combination of tough play on both sides, some dominating hitting, and then you get consistent quality officiating…that's a joy," Coach Dietz said afterwards.   "We got Addie into a good rhythm, and I thought that was important since we struggled the first three sets with our defense—a lot of miscommunication going on and when that stuff is normally a strength, it's weird to watch it happen on the court for more than a point or two."


Stats vs. Catawba
Digs: Beekman 17, Carroll 17
Aces: Cunningham 4, Beekman 3, Knop 3
Blocks: Cunningham 3
Assists: Anderson 20, Mueller 18
Kills: Anderson 12, Scott 12, Patton 11