GREENWOOD, S.C. – The UNCP women's volleyball squad lost a Peach Belt Conference matchup Friday in Greenwood, S.C. when the host Lander Bearcats used stellar defense and timely rallies in defeating the Lady Braves by a 3-1 final.

Despite finishing the night just one half block away from tying their season-high for the category, the Lady Braves (8-4, 1-2 PBC) were doomed by inaccurate attacking and a tremendous team defensive effort by the Bearcats (6-6, 1-4 PBC). UNCP finished the night with just a .102 hitting percentage, but were able to use their front-line defense with great effectiveness in keeping each game competitive.

Junior Tiara Anderson led the team with 11 kills on 33 total attacks and senior Rachel Young registered 10 kills on a .333 attack percentage to lead the UNCP offense in their conference road-opener. Rebecca Morgan and Tricia Varno recorded nine and eight kills on the night, respectively, and Shay Peterson led the squad with six total blocks (two solo).

Heather Bolwerk had 35 assists and three kills while chipping in 11 digs on the defensive end.  Freshman Marissa Baker led the UNCP defensive effort with 33 digs, setting a new season-high for UNCP and a personal career-high for the youngster.

Magi Nottingham and Melissa McCracken led the Bearcat effort with 17 kills apiece and Candace LaRocca facilitated the Lander offense with 53 assists.

UNCP continues their road trip with a stop in Aiken, S.C. tomorrow for a matchup with the Pacers of USC Aiken.