NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College Lady Indians recorded their first South Atlantic Conference victory of the season with a 30-28, 30-27, 30-24 sweep of visiting Lenoir-Rhyne College.

Newberry (7-1, 1-1 SAC) was paced offensively by the Brazilian duo of Lorena Maia and Priscila Sales, who recorded 12 and 11 kills, respectively.

Lenoir-Rhyne (10-7, 0-1 SAC) had four players in double-digit digs defensively, while Kassi Henry and Abby Smith each tallied eight kills.

The Lady Indians fell behind early in each game but fought back to earn the win. The first game saw both teams hit .205, but the Lady Indians executed well late in the game and a kill by Cara Coleman (Allentown, Pa.) gave them an early lead.

Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to a 6-1 lead in game two, but Newberry turned things around, taking a 14-11 lead and keeping the Bears at a distance as they pulled to the win. A Maia kill put an exclamation point on Newberry's game win.

The Bears took an early advantage in the third game as well, leading 8-2 before a Newberry timeout. Lenoir-Rhyne would take a 16-8 lead before the Lady Indians clawed back to a 29-22 lead, outscoring L-R, 21-6, in that stretch.

Sophomore setter Kilee Ruppe (Spartanburg, S.C.) dished out 36 assists in the match, while freshman libero Nadia Andrade (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) led the team defensively with 18 digs. Freshman Kara Harris (Grandview, Texas) dug out 12 balls for her third straight double-digit performance. Sales and Laurie Barman (Madison, Wisc.) each tallied a solo block and two block assists.

Catherine Fulton led the defensive effort for Lenoir-Rhyne with 17 digs. Lauren McLelland dished out 27 assists.

Newberry takes a break from conference play, as the Lady Indians travel to Brevard for a Wednesday night match, before returning home for a weekend conference pair against Mars Hill and Carson-Newman.

Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Catawba on Tuesday.