Belhaven topped LaGrange 3-1 in the Collegiate Conference South opener for both teams Thursday night in Richter Gym. The Panthers are now 0-9 overall, while the Blazers (3-8) won their third straight match. Belhaven took the match by scores of 25-20, 25-27, 26-24, and 25-21.
Senior Jharia Harris tied Belhaven's Jeslian Vazquez for match honors with 12 kills. Freshman Morgan Martin had a double-double of 17 assists and 10 digs. Freshman Zentrina Choice added seven kills. Freshman Alexis Childers had six kills, nine assists, and seven digs. Freshman Meredith Orton had six kills and nine digs
The Panthers held a 19-15 lead in the first set after a service ace by Bailey Moss and a Blazer bad set. The Blazers ran off seven straight points to take a 22-19 lead and went on to win the set 25-20.
LC came back to even the match with a hard fought 27-25 win in the second set. The Panthers trailed in the set until taking advantage of a Blazer error for their first lead, 18-17. The teams swapped points until Choice put down a kill off a set from Childers to put LC up 26-25. Orton's kill with an assist from Morgan gave the Panthers the set, 27-25.
Belhaven outlasted the Panthers in the next two sets to take the match. In the third set, the Panthers trailed 16-12. LC staved off set point twice with kills by Harris to tie it at 24. But the Blazers took advantage of a service error and closed out the set on Caitlin Torok's kill. In the fourth and final set, the Panthers led early 6-3. The Blazers eventually led by as many as eight, 21-13. The Panthers cut the deficit to three on Shania Espada's service ace, 22-19. Childers' kill made it 23-21 before the Blazers closed out the set and the match with back-to-back kills for the 25-21 final.
The Panthers play a CCS tri-match Saturday in Berea, Kentucky. LC will face Wesleyan and host Berea.
