Box Score Sept. 19, 2014 Box Score
OXFORD, Miss. - The Lamar Lady Cardinals attempt at their first victory of the season got out to a positive start Friday but the ladies in red and white were unable to hold the momentum dropping a 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-19) setback to Samford. It didn't get any easier as the Lady Cardinals dropped a 3-1 (25-23, 28-30, 25-14, 25-20) decision to Louisiana Tech in the afternoon session. The losses drop Lamar to 0-11 on the season.
Junior middle blocker Cortney Moore once again led Lamar recording 32 kills (.431 attack percentage) in the eight sets. Sophomore Chelsea Grant struggled in the opening match of the day but bounced back against the Lady Techsters recording 14 kills in 28 attempts with only two errors.
Trailing by a point late in the opening set against Samford, 21-20, the Lady Cards rallied behind setter Ashley Ellis. LU tied the match at 21 following a kill from Autumn Taylor. Following the point Ellis went back to serve and rattled off consecutive points to give Lamar a two-point advantage, 23-21. After a service error pulled Samford back within a point, the Lady Cardinals finished off the set by forcing the Bulldogs into consecutive attack errors. Lamar was unable to find its rhythm the rest of the match leading only one other time in the final three sets.
LU returned to the court in the evening session only to run into a similar result. After dropping a two-point decision in the opening set against La Tech, Lamar flipped the tables in the second set. Leading by five late, the Lady Techsters rallied to take a one-point advantage, 25-24, but Lamar wouldn't back down. The two teams went back-n-forth with the advantage until Autumn Taylor gave LU a one-point lead. Grant finished off LA Tech on the next serve.
The final two sets of the match didn't hold the same excitement as LA Tech picked up an 11-point win in the second set to reclaim the lead in the match. The Lady Techsters closed out the match with a five-point decision in the fourth.
Lamar returns to action Saturday to close out the Rebel Classic against tournament-host Mississippi. The match against the Lady Rebels is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. from Oxford.
-LAMAR-
