Wheeling Jesuit 3, Mercyhurst 2
Mercyhurst 3, Alderson-Broaddus 1

ERIE, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst College women's volleyball team (6-3) split a pair of matches on the opening day of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference / West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Crossover Tournament.

The Lakers dropped a tough five-set match in the opener to Wheeling Jesuit (23-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 15-11)  before rebounding with a 3-1 victory over Alderson-Broaddus (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23).

Four Mercyhurst players chipped in a double-digit effort in kills to pace the Lakers offense against Wheeling Jesuit, led by Chelsea Jensen, Gretta Freyermuth and Justine Smith with 11 kills each.  Becky Leusch also finished in double-digits, adding 10 kills.  Setter Julia Butler contributed 43 assists and defensively added 31 digs while libero Kendall Ashworth also notched 31 digs.  Smith and Leusch each posted five kills to aid in the defensive effort.

Against Alderson-Broaddus, Smith again led the Lakers offense with 11 kills.  The Lakers had just one other player in Amanda Balasko add double-digits in kills with 10, but featured a well-balanced attack as nine different Lakers recorded at least two kills.

Butler added another 38 assists on the night while Jensen added two more service aces, increasing her total to 22 on the year.  Defensive efforts were all around as 12 different Lakers recorded efforts.  Chantal Haase posted a shared game-high with six blocks to lead the defensive charge.

Next up for the Lakers is a 4 p.m. match against West Virginia Wesleyan in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.