MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The LeMoyne-Owen College women's volleyball team continued its early season schedule over the weekend at the CBU Patriot Day Classic, competing against Southern New Hampshire University, Quincy University and Claflin University inside Canale Arena.
The Lady Magicians finished the tournament 0-3 but closed the weekend with one of their more competitive performances of the season against Claflin.
LOC opened tournament play Friday morning against Southern New Hampshire, falling in three sets, 22-25, 18-25 and 14-25. The opening set was the closest of the match, with the Lady Magicians recording 10 kills and hitting .156. LOC also showed some strength at the net, finishing the match with five blocks compared to just one for Southern New Hampshire. Madelyn Ross led the offense with seven kills while adding six assists and eight digs. Rylee Foerster added four kills on a .571 hitting percentage and two blocks, while Ileana Austin recorded three service aces.
Later that afternoon, the Lady Magicians faced a strong Quincy University squad and fell 3-0. Quincy was efficient offensively throughout the match, finishing with 37 kills and only four attack errors for a .434 hitting percentage. LOC was held to a .037 hitting percentage while also surrendering 13 service aces. Jordan Williams provided a bright spot for the Lady Magicians, recording six kills without an attack error on 11 attempts for a .545 hitting percentage. Kennedy White added five kills, two aces and eight digs, while Makayla Smith led LOC defensively with nine digs.
LeMoyne Owen returned Saturday and put together its strongest performance of the tournament against Claflin University. After dropping the opening set 25-20, LOC responded with a 25-23 victory in the second set behind 13 kills and a .290 hitting percentage. Claflin eventually regained control and took the final two sets, 25-21 and 25-13, to secure the 3-1 victory. The Lady Magicians finished the match with a tournament-high 42 kills, 38 assists and 42 digs.
Williams led LOC against Claflin with 10 kills, while Malani Duncan delivered an efficient performance with eight kills on a .429 hitting percentage and four total blocks. White also contributed eight kills. Abbie Chatman directed the offense with 20 assists, Ross added 16 assists and Makayla Smith anchored the back row with 15 digs.
Across the three matches, several Lady Magicians produced solid numbers. Williams led LOC with 18 total kills, while Ross finished with 16 kills, 30 assists and 15 digs. White contributed 15 kills, nine digs and three service aces, while Chatman totaled 40 assists over the weekend. Smith was one of LOC's most consistent defensive players, collecting 31 total digs across the three matches.
As a team, LeMoyne Owen recorded 82 kills, 75 assists, 92 digs, 13 service aces and 11 total blocks during the tournament. The Lady Magicians showed their best offensive production in the tournament finale, giving the team something to build on as it returns home.
LeMoyne Owen will now turn its attention to its next match-up as the Lady Magicians host Philander Smith College on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 6:00 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee.
