BANNER ELK, N.C. — The Catawba College men's volleyball team nearly snapped its losing skid on Wednesday night, bearing a 2-1 lead before the final two sets slipped away in a 3-2 setback against Lees-McRae at Williams Gymnasium.

TEAM STATS
- Catawba (5-9) led the way in virtually every category except the final score, posting a .145 hitting percentage that bested Lees-McRae's (7-8) mark of .124
- It was a solid night for Catawba at the net as the visitors racked up 12.5 blocks, outpowering the Bobcats who recorded nine
- The Catawba Indians squeaked out an 8-7 edge in aces, but were ultimately buried by their 22 service errors while the Bobcats tallied 14 off-target deliveries
- The blue and white logged their largest lead in the digs category this season by outdoing the hosts 47-41
- Tallying up total points accounted for, Catawba led the contest 78.5-58; however, the visitors' errors in attack and elsewhere sealed their fate

INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Three Catawba Indians finished in double figures on the attacking front, led by Justin Arrowood with 22 kills – one shy of tying his career high – as well as 10 digs for his second double-double of the season
- Anders Christianson mashed 13 kills while adding nine blocks and four digs defensively
- Wyatt Eastin registered a successful .278 hitting percentage that included 10 kills as the sophomore also chipped in a team-high six blocks
- Logan Neitzel racked up six blasts on a .500 clip with five blocks featuring a solo stop
- Seeing his first action in a month, Kristian Smith notched 51 assists, tying the program's second-best individual mark for a third time, in addition to nine digs and two blocks
- Arrowood, Christianson and Smith tossed in two aces apiece while Eastin and John Clinton each landed one
- Max Adkisson paced the defensive corps with 12 digs, going down as his fifth double-digit showing of the year

UP NEXT
The Catawba Indians are back in friendly confines on Friday, Mar. 6, against North Greenville for a 7 p.m. first serve at Goodman Arena.