MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The LeMoyne-Owen College women's volleyball team earned its first home victory of the season Tuesday evening, delivering a dominant performance in a 3-0 sweep over rival Rust College inside Bruce-Johnson Hall.
The Lady Magicians controlled the match from the opening serve, taking all three sets, 25-13, 25-18 and 25-15. LOC finished with 36 kills while holding Rust to 24 and posted a .192 team hitting percentage compared to just .009 for the Bearcats. LeMoyne Owen also held a 64-47 advantage in digs and a 34-20 edge in assists.
LOC set the tone with one of its most efficient offensive sets of the season in the opener. The Lady Magicians recorded 12 kills with only two errors on 28 attempts for a .357 hitting percentage, cruising to a 25-13 victory. The offense continued to apply pressure in the second set, producing a match-high 15 kills on the way to a 25-18 win before closing out the sweep with a 25-15 victory in the third.
Jada Griffin led the Lady Magicians offensively with 10 kills while committing only two attack errors, finishing with a .308 hitting percentage. Kennedy White delivered an impressive all-around performance with seven kills and a match-high 19 digs, while Malani Duncan added six kills. Freshman Rylee Foerster was also efficient in the attack, recording five kills on 11 attempts for a .273 hitting percentage.
Setter Madelyn Ross directed the offense with 32 of LOC's 34 assists while also adding five digs and three kills. Defensively, Makayla Smith continued to provide stability in the back row with 16 digs and an ace, while Ileana Austin contributed seven digs. Jordan Williams helped LOC at the net with two blocks.
The victory marked LeMoyne Owen's first home win of the season and came against a familiar rival, giving the Lady Magicians some much-needed momentum. Senior Abbie Chatman also credited the growing support from fellow LOC student-athletes for helping create a stronger home-court atmosphere.
"I love the student-athletes that come out and support," Chatman said. "It's way better from last year."
For Chatman, finally breaking through in the win column was an important moment for a Lady Magicians team that has continued to battle through a challenging early-season schedule.
"It feels great," Chatman said. "I feel like it's going to bring that dog out of us."
LeMoyne Owen will now turn its attention back to conference competition as the Lady Magicians travel to Wilberforce, Ohio, this weekend for the Central State Cluster, hosted by Central State University.
The Lady Magicians will open the cluster with two matches on Friday, Sept. 25, taking on Spring Hill College at 1:30 p.m. before facing Tuskegee University at 4:00 p.m. LOC will close out the weekend on Saturday, Sept. 26, against Miles College at 9:00 a.m. All three matches will be played at Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium.
