Reinhardt tops Panthers
Oct. 4, 2006

LaGrange College lost a hard-fought match to visiting Reinhardt College in volleyball action Wednesday night at the CEB Gym. The Lady Eagles won the match 3-1 by scores of 30-26, 28-30, 30-26 and 30-25 to improve to 5-11, while the Panthers dropped to 5-11 with the non-conference loss.

Senior outside hitter Niki Metcalf led the Panthers with her fourth straight double-double. She had a team-high 15 kills to go with 20 digs. Megan Moore and Kayla Black also had double-doubles. Moore had 22 assists and a team-high 24 digs, while Black had 14 assists and 12 digs.

The Panthers led only one time in the first game, scoring the first point. Reinhardt built a 20-13 lead, the Lady Eagles' largest of the game. The Panthers rallied briefly to cut the Lady Eagles' lead to 21-18. Trailing 28-24, the Panthers scored twice to get within two, but Reinhardt got the last two points to take the game 30-26.

The Panthers bounced back in the second game to tie the match. Reinhardt led by as many as five in the early going. The Panthers battled back to tie the game and the lead began to swap hands. Lauren Maddux's kill put the Panthers ahead to stay, 24-23. The Panthers held off a late rally by the Lady Eagles for the 30-28 win.

Reinhardt took the pivotal third game 30-26. The Lady Eagles led 20-15 before the Panthers rallied. The Panthers scored seven of the next eight points to go up 22-21. Reinhardt responded by scoring the next four points to take the lead for good.

The Panthers got off to a quick start in the fourth game. They led 6-1 after a service ace by Moore. Reinhardt chipped away at the lead, finally overtaking the Panthers at 12-11. The Lady Eagles never trailed again. The Panthers fell behind by as many as seven on two occasions. They rallied two times to get within three points. The last after a Britny Greenspage kill made it 28-25. Reinhardt closed out the match from there, winning 30-25.

The Panthers continue their home stand against Emory & Henry on Friday in a non-conference match at 6 p.m. in the CEB Gym.