NEWBERRY — The Wolves were unable to capitalize on a third set win and dropped a tight 3-1 match against conference foe Mars Hill Saturday.
Toni-Anne Whitlow tallied a team-high 11 kills in the game. Her performance allowed her to surpass Sidra Triplett as the season leader in kills with a total of 236. Triplett follows close behind with 233 kills this season.
A ball handling error from Mars Hill’s Sarah Pasour gave Newberry the early 1-0 edge to begin the third frame. Four kills from Whitlow increased the lead to 13-11, but the Lions would not go away and closed the gap to within one at 21-20. A pair of kills from Azhia Carter helped the Wolves seal the 25-22 victory.
Zoe Dinkins notched another career-high eight blocks in the four-set thriller.
Mars Hill took the 6-5 lead to begin the second set, but a pair of attack errors and a service ace put the Wolves in control forcing a Lions’ timeout. Three straight attack errors committed by Mars Hill pushed the Wolves’ advantage to 15-10, their largest lead of the set. Newberry was unable to hold onto the momentum as the Lions mounted a comeback to take the set 25-23.
Five Wolves tallied double-digit digs with captain Kensley Jordan posting a team-high 28.
Newberry continued to struggle with errors, committing 30 throughout the match.
After a kill from Triplett put the Wolves up 1-0 in the first set, Mars Hill overtook the lead and cruised to a 25-16 win.
The Wolves were unable to rebound after winning the third set and dropped the final set 25-20.
The Wolves played Tusculum on Friday, and lost in a tight 3-0 matchup.
Newberry will take their last road trip to Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday, Nov. 10 with tipoff happening at 6 p.m.