SAU roundup: Men’s volleyball loses home heartbreaker against Webber

LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews Knights men’s volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 loss at home against the Webber University Warriors Friday night.

St. Andrews’ lone set win came with a 26-24 result in the second; Webber won the other three 25-14, 25-12 and 25-22.

Hazem Abdelghafar led the way on offense for the Knights with 12 kills, followed by Hugo Gonzalez-Gutierrez with 10 kills; Kenton Bedford and Alvearo Gonzalez recorded five kills of their own and Dakota Hotaling continued to set his opponents up on offense with 35 assists — the only Knights player in double digits in the category. Alex Vasquez-Sanchez led the defense, logging 11 digs, while Hotaling contributed five digs.

Carson Barnes led the Warriors offense with 17 kills; Thoralf Schmelzer logged 13 kills and Kevin McCarthy contributed 10. Ayden Keeter remained a steady force on offense throughout the match, recording 43 assists. Trent Massey and McCarthy were the top two Warrior defenders, with 11 and seven digs, respectively.

Women’s lacrosse drops home opener against Warner

The St. Andrews Knights women’s lacrosse team lost its home opener to the Warner Royals 16-1 Friday night on the St. Andrews campus in Laurinburg.

The Royals’ offense was too much for the Lady Knights to handle as they came out aggressively, scoring four goals in the first quarter, with another six in the second. The Royals were anchored by Bailey Dykes’ four goals and Bailey Lightsey’s three goals. The two teams entered the fourth quarter, with the visiting team leading 11-0.

The lone Lady Knights goal came in the fourth from Cecila Beal, assisted by Ariana Radno; Dykes and Lightsey added one more goal to their tally in the fourth quarter.

St. Andrews’ next matchup will be at home on March 2 at 11 a.m. against Georgetown. It will be their first Appalachian Athletic Conference game this season.