CENTRAL, S.C. | Young Harris College Volleyball showed grit and determination on Wednesday evening, jumping out to a two-set lead before narrowly falling in five sets (25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 9-15) to Southern Wesleyan University in Conference Carolinas action. 

The Mountain Lions (4-7, 1-2 CC) came out strong, hitting an impressive .289 in the opening set and holding SWU to just a .220 clip. Young Harris followed with a dominant defensive effort in set two, forcing a negative hitting percentage (-.065) from the Warriors while securing a 2-0 match lead. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Young Harris totaled 57 kills and 75 digs in the match, with several standout individual performances. 

• Abby Schirm led the way with 15 kills and 14 digs, adding 2 blocks and totaling 16 points. 

• Lauren DeSilets was highly efficient, hitting .355 with 13 kills and contributing 14 points. 

• Alexa Berry added 7 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, while also tallying 3 blocks and 9 points. 

• Lyza Thigpen orchestrated the offense with 29 assists and served up 3 aces, while also collecting 12 digs. 

• Kellyn French anchored the back row with a team-high 16 digs and added an ace. 

• Kathryn Urbanek contributed 4 blocks and 6 digs, while Linsey Burke added 16 assists and 8 digs. 

• Despite the final result, Young Harris out-blocked Southern Wesleyan 9-8 and held a slight edge in total points (73-70.5). 

UP NEXT:

The Mountain Lions return to action on Friday (Sept. 26) evening in Banner Elk, North Carolina versus Lees-McRae College.