Charlotte, NC - No. 8 Johnson & Wales (10-7) returned home for the first time in two weeks Thursday night as they played host to the Lady Pioneers of Spartanburg Methodist College (10-6). The Lady Pioneers proved to be tough guests as they defeated the Lady Wildcats 3-0.

SMC took a quick 7-3 lead in game one. JWU tried to claw their way back into the game, cutting the Lady Pioneer lead to 10-7. SMC went on a 13-2 run to extend their lead to 23-9. The Lady Wildcats briefly stopped the run with 2 points of their own before the Lady Pioneers closed out the game, 25-11.

Game two was much more of a back and forth affair. The two teams traded points to get to 3-3, before SMC ran off four straight to take a 7-3 lead. The Lady Pioneers slowly extended their lead to seven at 22-15 before the Lady Wildcats mounted a furious rally. JWU scored ten of the next thirteen points to knot the score at 25. SMC thwarted the comeback, scoring the final two points to take game two, 27-25.

The Lady Wildcats got off to a fast start in game three, scoring the first three points of the stanza. They would go on to increase their advantage to four at 7-3 before the Lady Pioneers rallied to tie the score at 7. The game remained nip and tuck until SMC turned a 14-13 lead into a 22-16 lead with a 8-3 run. The Lady Pioneers would close out the game five points later, winning 25-18.

The Lady Wildcats were led on the night by Moriah Hughes. She recorded team highs in both kills (6), and digs (15). Kylie Marquardt added 8 assists while Reanna Bray tallied 4 blocks.

JWU is next in action Saturday as they travel to Elizabeth City to play in a tri-match at Mid-Atlantic Christian. They face the hosts at 1pm, and play Trinity Baptist at 3pm.