Blue Hose Spoil UNC Pembroke’s Senior Night
PEMBROKE, N.C. – The trio of Lauren Mason (Peachtree City, Ga.), Julie Hollrah (Glenwood, Md.) and Justine Lanchester (Downs, Ill.) combined for 45 kills en route to spoiling UNC Pembroke’s Senior Night with a 3-1 (30-23, 30-27, 24-30, 30-22) victory over the Braves on Tuesday at the English E. Jones Center.
Seniors Abigail Parker and Alicia Hill joined together for 32 of the team’s 53 kills but UNC Pembroke could not hold off Presbyterian as the Braves fell to 9-17 on the season. The win snaps a 12-match losing streak for the Blue Hose as PC to 8-23.
Parker (18) and Hill (14) each had strong nights offensively as the duo accounted for double-digit kills. Freshman Whitney Hanlin also excelled on the offensive side as she notched a career-high 11 kills in the match.
Presbyterian also had three players go for 10 or more kills as Mason (18), Hollrah (14), and Lanchester (13) combined for 78% of the Blue Hose kills. The Blue Hose took a 2-0 lead in the match before Pembroke forced a fourth game with its 30-24 win in the third game.
On the defensive side of the ball, libero Andrea Laza earned 25 digs on the night. Laza was followed by Parker and Hill who added 18 and 14 digs, respectively. Presbyterian had five players go for double-digit digs with three players going for 20 or more. Hollrah led the Blue Hose with 23 on the night, while Rachel Lewis (Bloomington, Ill.) added 21 and Mason had 20.
The Braves were strong at the net as well as they combined for 10 blocks on the night. Hanlin earned a match-high four blocks including three solo in defeat.
It was senior night for the Black & Gold as four seniors said goodbye to the UNCP faithful. Hill and Parker, along with April Newhouse and Rachelle Milbank were honored in a pre-match ceremony to commemorate their playing careers. Hill, Parker, and Newhouse started the final home match of the season for the Braves.
UNCP will travel to Savannah, Ga. on Friday, Oct. 27 as the Braves finish out the Peach Belt Conference season with Armstrong Atlantic State. Pembroke will then face Catawba on Oct. 31 before heading to the PBC tournament in Florence, N.C.
The Blue Hose will wrap up South Atlantic Conference regular-season with a Friday night match against Mars Hill College at 7 p.m. followed by their match against Lenoir-Rhyne College the next day at 1 p.m. Friday night’s match with Mars Hill has been designated as ‘Dig for the Cure’ as well as Senior Night. All proceeds from Friday will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation Greenville Affiliate.