Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst volleyball team beat Daemen in five games in a non-league match Tuesday night at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. The Lakers won by scores of 23-25, 25-12, 27-25, 18-25, and 15-12 to stretch their winning streak to eight matches.

In the fifth game, the Wildcats went ahead 3-1 and 9-5 in the earlygoing. Mercyhurst rallied with kills by Kelsi Romatowski and Rachel Crittle and a Kiera Rebert ace. Two straight Daemen attack errors evened the score at 10. Joanna Fretthold regained the visitors' edge with consecutive kills. After two Wildcats error tied the set again, Sarah Vick came through with a kill off a Rebert pass. Another Daemen error brought on match point, where Rebert hit Becky Leusch for a blast to end the night.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair, eventually playing through to a tie at 23. Lindsey Nowak's kill made it game point and the Wildcats finished the frame ahead 1-0. The hosts dominated the second game, hitting .462 as a group. Becky Leusch and Becky Smith combined for seven kills in the set.

The third frame was another dramatic bit of action, with Daemen jumping out to a 14-8 advantage before the Lakers responded. Mercyhurst finally caught the Wildcats at 24-all on a Crittle ace. After an attack error, Leusch kept the game going with a kill. Erin Byrnes had a kill and then Nicole Texido finished the set with an ace for a 2-1 match edge.

The Wildcats bounced back though, attacking at a .294 rate in the fourth game, sending the contest into the decisive set.

On the night, Leusch posted 15 kills and five block assists. Coach Ryan Patton used his bench liberally, as 15 Lakers saw time. Senior Katie Powell got extensive floor time, compiling 14 digs. Rebert dished out 30 assists, while Kelly Vitt had 18. Elyse Texido, fresh off her conference player of the week honors, collected 26 digs in the back row.  
 
The Lakers (21-6) host Clarion in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West match Friday, October 26, at 7:05 p.m.