Knights men's volleyball falls to Lees-McRae in first match of 2023 season

Jan. 30—BANNER ELK — The Knights men's volleyball team officially embarked on their 2023 regular season campaign on Saturday afternoon A trip to Banner Elk would lead to a difficult test against the Lees-McRae Bobcats, as the Knights fell by a final scoreline of 3-0. It's the first match action for the Knights this season, so there will be much to take away as a team from this one, as they will look to make steady improvements throughout the season.

The first set didn't start the way the Knights were hoping, as the Bobcats were able to storm out to a quick 5-0 lead after four service aces were converted. The Knights scored their first set point of the season after a service error from Bradley Peters of Lees-McRae.

Hazem Aldeghafar (Cairo, Egypt) converted on the first Knights kill of the season after being set up perfect from setter Dakota Hotaling (Center Moriches, NY). Aldeghafar converted shortly on another kill, while a kill from Francisco Figueroa (Fajardo, Puerto Rico) helped get the Knights right back on track with the score sitting at 6-8 in the Bobcats favor.

After the teams traded points back-and-forth, Figueroa once again got the Knights on the board with a beautiful service ace. Shortly after, Kenton Bedford (Midlothian, VA) converted on a kill to bring the Knights to within four points at 16-20. A follow up kill from Jamere Jackson (Chicago, IL) made it close, however, they weren't able to make the comeback attempt and would fall in the first set by a final score of 25-21.

Two service aces from Hotaling helped the Knights take charge in the beginning of the second set, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead against the Bobcats. Lees-McRae was able to respond back, however, and captured the next 10 of 11 points before Aldeghafar was able to quiet the crowd after converting on his kill attempt.

A couple of back-to-back blocks from Hotaling and a kill from Jackson helped the Knights stop the damage and inch their way back into the set. After a few more plays, two kills from Aldeghafar cut the lead down to 21-13 in the Bobcats favor.

A late kill from Alex Vazquez-Sanchez (Cabo Roja, Puerto Rico) gave the Knights a chance at a comeback, however, the Bobcats were able to close the set out by a final scoreline of 25-18.

The third set began back-and-forth from the get go, as both sides enjoyed trading points against the other. Aldeghafar was able to convert on two early kill attempts, while a kill from Figueroa made the score 8-8 early in the third set.

The Bobcats were able to find six of the next seven points in order to take a 14-9 lead, before Jackson was able to stop the bleeding with a beautiful kill conversion. Another spree from the Bobcats saw them eventually grow their lead to 22-12 over the Knights before ultimately closing out the third and final set at 25-17.

The Knights will be thirsty for more game action after getting the first under their belt and will look to right the ship on Feb. 2 when they host Campbellsville University in their home opener. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m.