RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team put together a furious rally thanks to several career-high performances but fell 3-2 (25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 13-25, 15-10) after coming back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set on Friday in the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
Carter Mirich tied her career-best with 21 kills and set a new career-high with 29 digs. Madeline Davis hit .400 with 24 kills, the most in her four years at Tech. Alyssa Zucco added 25 digs, her season-high.
 
"Today is tough. I felt like we fought really hard, but we waited too long to do it," said LA Tech head coach Amber McCray. "We had some phenomenal performances from Carter Mirich and Madeline Davis. This is the most complete offensive game we've played in a while, and it's unfortunate that it ended in a loss. We will build on that momentum and carry our confidence into Sunday."
 
Charlotte opened the match with a win after escaping a late Tech rally for a 25-23 win. The Lady Techsters trailed 23-18 before going on a 5-0 run to even the score at 23. Elena Takova and Madeline Davis posted two kills apiece during run, but the 49ers rebounded after a timeout to take the frame.
 
Mirich singlehandedly kept the Techsters in the second set. She racked up 9 kills and 10 digs in the frame, but it wasn't quite enough to give Tech the win. The Lady Techsters pulled within 23-22, but a pair of Charlotte kills gave them the 25-22 win.
 
Davis led a bounce back effort in the third set. The senior totaled up 7 kills with just one error in to lead Tech to a .325 hitting percentage as a team. The Lady Techsters added four blocks to Davis' effort – including three from Emily Boylan.
 
Tech followed the third set win with a dominant effort in the fourth. Boylan and Davis combined for five kills as the Lady Techsters jumped out to a 10-2 lead and carried an advantage on the scoreboard from start to finish. Davis finished the set with another 7 kills and hit .583 in the 25-13 win.
 
Boylan and Davis again helped the Techsters jump out to an early lead in the fifth set. The duo posted three straight kills to put Tech up 3-0. Charlotte bounced back, however, regaining the momentum and taking the set 15-10.  
 
Natalie Honore had a career day on the Tech back line with 16 digs. As a team, the Lady Techsters totaled up 100 digs, their most since a season-opening win over Oral Roberts.  
 
Tech continues their final home weekend of the season when they take on Southern Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m. A Senior Day ceremony will precede the match.
 
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