WINGATE, N.C. - Lander advanced to the semifinals of the Southeast Regional, defeating Emmanuel 3-1 Friday afternoon, avenging a loss to the Lions earlier in the season. The Bearcats will play again tomorrow at 5:00 PM against the Augusta vs. Tusculum matchup winner.
A block from Olivia Dow and Blondie Penflor would give Lander a 7-1 lead early in the first set. Emmanuel would answer with five straight points to cut the lead to one. With the Bearcats leading 8-7, Dow would get a kill, and then back-to-back blocks by Lauren Dow and McCayla Willingham would make it 11-7. After the Lions made it 11-8, Lander would outscore Emmanuel 9-3 to take a 20-11 lead, and a kill by Willingham would end the set 25-16.
Emmanuel would answer by winning the second set 25-19 to tie the match at one.
With the score tied at nine in the third set, Katie Miller took a pass from Lauren Dow for a kill to give Lander the lead. A block from Miller and Penaflor, followed by a kill by Olivia Dow, made it 12-9. The Lions would battle back and tie the set at 16. The Bearcats would score six straight points to take a commanding 22-16 lead. A kill by Miller would end the set 25-18 to give Lander a 2-1 lead.
The two teams would battle back and forth in the fourth set, with neither team leading by more than a point. With the score tied at eight, the Bearcats would take advantage of two Lion attack errors to take a 10-8 lead. Lander looked to be in control, leading 23-19 and forcing Emmanuel to call a timeout. The Lions came out of the timeout with three unanswered points to make it 23-22. After a Lander timeout, Lander would get a point on an Emmanuel service error, and then a block from Willingham and Lauren Dow would give Lander the set and the match.
Olivia Dow and Katie Miller led the Lander attack with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Miller also added 18 digs for a double-double and had a game-high four aces. Lauren Dow dished out 31 assists, while Patricia Pantoja led all players with 23 digs. Sophia Schneider added 13 digs, and McCayla Willingham had a game-high seven blocks.
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