LYNCHBURG, Va. – Unlike in the first match of the two-game series, the Louisiana Tech Volleyball team came out of the gates strong in match No. 2, but Liberty weathered the storm and prevailed in a 3-0 win on Friday afternoon at Liberty Arena.
 
LA Tech (6-20, 1-13 CUSA) managed to generate only six points in set one last night versus Liberty (15-11, 8-6 CUSA).  However, the Bulldogs built as much as a 19-9 lead against the Flames, capped off by a kill from Sa'Myah Medford (one of her career-high and team-high eight). 
 
LU found its groove after that though, going on an 11-1 run to tie things up at 20-20.  After both squads traded a pair of points, the Flames won three of the final four points to steal the first set, 25-23.
 
Liberty tried to pull away midway in the second set, but LA Tech produced a 4-0 run, finalized by an ace from Riley Steubing, to even things up at 12-all and force a timeout by the Flames.  The timeout stymied the 'Dogs as the home team closed out set two on a 13-2 run to take it, 25-14.
 
Set three was close early, but again the Flames used several mini-runs to take the third set and the match (25-23, 25-14, 25-14).  LU's Madison Blane was a big part of their success, recording 16 kills, five blocks, and four faces to pace the Flames who had a .260 hitting percentage on top of a 13-4 service ace advantage.
 
LA Tech produced a .126 hitting percentage for the match with five Bulldogs notching at least four kills.  The best effort offensively came from the freshman Ford who had a .800 hitting percentage on 10 attacks and zero errors.  Defensively, McKenzie Johnson had a game-high 22 digs.

QUOTABLES
Head coach Amber McCray

"I'm proud of the energy and focus we came out with today executing the game plan, but disappointed in our ability to maintain that and finish. Blowing a 19-9 lead is unacceptable, even against a good team on the road. Despite that, there were a couple of top performances to shout out. Sa'Myah Medford's errorless 8 kills and .800 hitting clip plus 4 block assists as a freshman is definitely something to smile about. McKenzie Johnson's 22 digs in a 3-set match is elite level play and a major reason why we had opportunities to win this match. I'm thankful to have one more weekend to put all these "spurts" we have been talking about all year together for a complete game and fight to extend our season."

NOTABLES

• With the loss, LA Tech now trails in the all-time series with Liberty, 1-2.
• Sa'Myah Medford tallied a career-high eight kills and four kills, both of which led the team.
• McKenzie Johnson registered a team-high 22 digs, marking the sixth time this season she has had at least 20 in a single game. It was the most digs by a Bulldog in a 3-set match this season.The junior now has 1,238 career digs.
• Lauren Albrecht recorded a team-high 12 assists, the 20th time this season with double-digit assists.

UP NEXT
LA Tech closes out the regular season at home next week with a pair of matches versus Jacksonville State.  Match one will take place on Thursday, Nov. 9 with first serve set for 6 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center.  The Senior Night will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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