Errors loom large in Indians' loss to Spartanburg

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina – Early season errors haunted the Indians in their season opening, 3-1, to host Spartanburg Methodist Pioneers (3-0) on the opening day of the Spartanburg Methodist College Invitational.

Set One: Pioneers 25, Indians 18

The Indians battled from a pair of three-point deficits to tie the set, 11-11, before the Pioneers rattled off nine-unanswered to pick up the win the first set.

Set Two: Pioneers 25, Indians 17

ICC took a 7-5 lead early in the second set but saw a 4-0 rally from SMC to retake the lead. The Indians continued to struggle with service errors throughout the match to allow the Pioneers to take a 2-0 advantage.

Set Three: Indians 26, Pioneers 24

The Indians silenced a rowdy home crowd with a 26-24 win to extend the match. Sarah Allyn Thornell (Atoka, Tenn.) evened the set, 13-13, with a block that seemed to ignite the Indians offense. The Pioneers rallied again to take a 20-19 advantage before back-to-back kills by LaMaya Newsome (Southaven) put momentum back in favor of the red and blue. Mary Leslie Cranford (Covington, Tenn.) gave the Indians the win with an ace to close out the set.

Set Four: Pioneers 25, Indians 22

The Indians battled from a four-point deficit to tie the match, 15-15, on powerful kill by Newsome. ICC would take a 17-16 lead but the breaks would be the girls down the stretch as Spartanburg Methodist closed out the match to improve to 3-0 on the season.


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