NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Lindsey Wilson College volleyball team ended day one of its trip to Music City on a sour note Friday, losing to Milligan (Tenn.) College 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18) and Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 28-26, 25-18) at the Scott Jones Classic hosted by Trevecca at Mark R. Moore Gymnasium.
Despite falling to 1-6 overall, the Blue Raiders put up a fight in both matches, losing by no more than nine points in a set.
Against Milligan, sophomore Ashlie Haworth paced the team in kills with 10, while freshman Audra McNabney added eight strikes. No one hit the ball very effectively, leaving sophomore setter Andrea Taylor with the best hitting percentage at .286 (4-for-7).
The Lady Buffs got a strong performance from Emilee Hale with nine kills in 14 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage. Morgan Rutledge led the Milligan defense with 13 digs. McNabney stayed active on defense as well, adding 14 digs to her eight kills.
Lindsey Wilson, however, was limited to no solo blocks and just two block assists and one service ace as Milligan took control of the match.
A refocused group of Blue Raider emerged in the first set against host Trevecca Nazarene. Lindsey Wilson rallied back from a 6-1 deficit to eventually knot the score at nine points each before battling for a 25-21 win.
Unfortunately, Trevecca outlasted Lindsey Wilson the rest of the way to take the win.
Still, after a lopsided 25-16 second set, the Blue Raiders offered the home crowd some excitement with a prolonged third set that Trevecca stole 28-26, before finishing off the match with a decisive 25-18 win in the fourth.
McNabney's offense came alive against the Trojans, leading Lindsey Wilson with 13 kills and tying junior Rachael Anderson for the most digs with six.
Haworth put together eight kills and three service aces, while freshman Emily Meeks played a solid match with five kills in just 14 attempts, two service aces, a solo block and six block assists.
Lindsey Wilson returns to action in the Scott Jones Classic at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday against Brescia (Ky.) University, followed by a match against Cumberland (Tenn.) University at 3 p.m.
Click here for Milligan box score.
Click here for Trevecca Nazarene box score.
