Erie, Pa. – The Mercyhurst College women's volleyball team equaled a program record for kill percentage in a match, rolling past Indiana (Pa.) 25-21, 25-11, 25-16 on Senior Night in the team's final match of the regular season Thursday.

 

The Lakers hit .442 for the contest, including an eye-popping .640 in the second set, to tie a record it set earlier this year. Mercyhurst hit the same percentage in a win over West Liberty State Sept. 6, breaking the former record of .427.

 

Five attackers were crucial to breaking the mark, led by Katie Fritz, who had 13 kills and a .478 attack percentage. Seniors Lauren Kubinski and Jenna Matson, who were honored for their careers earlier in the evening, added 11 and 10 kills respectively. Erin English and Justine Smith added seven kills apiece. Setter Julia Butler dished out 43 assists, her high in a three-set match this year.

 

After a close first set, Mercyhurst jumped out quickly on Indiana (Pa.) in the second as the Lakers had 17 kills and just one error on 25 swings. The Lakers led by as many as 15 points at 21-6 before IUP picked up a bit of momentum heading into the third.

 

In the third set, Indiana (Pa.) hung around early and the score was tied 7-7, but the Lakers reeled off five straight points and never looked back.

 

As a team, Mercyhurst finished with 40 digs, 15 more than IUP. Matson and Butler each had nine. English had a team-high four blocks as the Lakers had 6.0 as a team.

 

IUP falls to 15-20 on the year and 1-10 in PSAC play. The Lakers complete the regular season with their first 20-win season since 2002, going 20-13 overall and 6-6 in PSAC West play. Mercyhurst will compete in the first round of the PSAC Tournament Tuesday as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. The Lakers will play at No. 1 seed California (Pa.) or No. 2 seed Edinboro in the quarterfinals.