Erie, Pa. – Mercyhurst scored nine straight points in the fourth set to blow open a close match as the Lakers defeated Slippery Rock 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-13 Wednesday. The match marked the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division contest in program history.
Erin English served eight consecutive points during the Lakers' 9-0 run in the fourth set that began with Mercyhurst clinging to a 12-11 lead after three tight sets to open the contest. Sophomore
Justine Smith had three kills during the run and her final dagger put Mercyhurst on top 21-11. The Lakers cruised to the 25-13 victory to clinch the match.
Mercyhurst fell behind by as many as eight points midway through the first set and struggled to find consistency. But the Lakers began to find a rhythm late in the first set and got within two points at 24-22. But Slippery Rock's Jen Blasko put the opening set away with a kill to put the Lakers behind.
Over the course of the next two sets, Mercyhurst never trailed although Slippery Rock stayed close throughout. The Lakers jumped out to a 13-8 lead in game two but the Rock fought back to tie the match at 13-13 and 15-15. At that point,
Lauren Kubinski had two kills and a block assist during a five-point run that put the set away and evened the match.
In the third set, Slippery Rock closed within one point on numerous occasions but the Lakers again came through in the clutch. Holding tight to a 20-19 lead,
Katie Fritz posted a kill from one of
Julia Butler's 46 assists on the evening and Slippery Rock followed with three consecutive attack errors to effectively put the set away.
Kubinski led Mercyhurst with 14 kills and added three blocks and six digs. Butler directed the offense with those 46 assists and a team-high 11 digs. Smith and
Jenna Matson added 12 kills each, while Matson and
Kendall Ashworth had two aces.
Slippery Rock falls to 1-4 on the year and 0-1 in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst improves to 2-3 and 1-0 in conference play. The Lakers will host the Mercyhurst Invitational Friday and Saturday, playing four matches over the span of two days.
