Kinston, NC – The Johnson & Wales women's volleyball team opened its 2015 campaign with a split at the Lenoir Community College Tri-Match, losing in straight sets to the hosts before rebounding for a straight set victory over Elizabeth City State.

In the opener, the Wildcats (1-1) played Lenior tight in all three sets, losing by the scores of 26-24, 25-16, 25-23.

Lucy Herrmann and Cameron Leonhardt led the way for Johnson & Wales with eight kills each. 

“The team improved from our scrimmage on Thursday in this first game,” said Wildcats head coach Callie Phillips.  “We dropped the tight first set by two, and unfortunately, that set a different tone than we had hoped.  We did a lot of things right and we look forward to playing LCC again next weekend.”

A much more comprehensive performance by the Wildcats saw them coast to victory over Elizabeth City State by the scores of 25-14, 25-10, 25-19.

A higher team hitting percentage proved key and a strong defense, including six team blocks, paved the way to the first victory of the year.

Joy Leonard finished with 10 kills in the match while Leonhardt led the defense with three blocks.

“Some areas for improvement were exposed in our first match of the day, and we turned them around to produce in this match,” said Phillips.  “We were active and aggressive at the net, and our defense stood tall on the back line.  We look to improve each time we hit the court, and we certainly did against ECSU.”