Box Score

ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst volleyball team beat Clarion, 3-1, Friday night. The Lakers won by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 22-25, and 25-19 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division match at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.
 
Mercyhurst played some of its best volleyball of the season, jumping out to a 2-0 match lead and then taking game four to knock off the division-leading Lady Eagles.
 
The first set was even at 18 when Kiera Rebert led the hosts on a game-breaking run. Camille Alvarez had a kill and then Clarion committed two attack errors. Veronica Crosby followed with a kill and then an Eagle error made it 21-18. Alvarez continued the spurt with two more kills and Rebert won the game on an ace, giving the Lakers a 1-0 advantage.
 
The second frame was even more competitive, featuring a tie at 19. Sarah Vick posted a kill and then Amanda Balasko had two straight points to make it 22-19. After two Clarion points, Becky Smith answered with a kill. The Eagles fought off two game points, but Kelly Vitt hit Vick for the set-ending kill and a 2-0 match lead.
 
The visitors responded in the third set, maintaining a small lead later in the game and putting away the frame on a Hannah Heeter point.
 
Mercyhurst got out to a 9-5 advantage in the fourth set. A Vitt ace made it 14-9 midway through the action. Clarion bounced back with a run to get within 15-13, but Balasko and Vick each recorded kills to keep the lead. The teams traded points from there until Becky Leusch's kill made it 20-18 Lakers. Mercyhurst ended the match with the final four points of the night, as Leusch had a kill, Clarion made two errors and then Elyse Texido hit an ace to close out the victory.
 
Leusch paced the team with 14 kills, while hitting .258 in the match. Alvarez had 13 kills and Smith added nine. Vitt had 26 assists and Rebert dished out 25 of her own. Texido collected 27 digs.
 
As a unit, the Lakers hit .165 for the contest, holding Clarion to a .065 attack rate.
 
With the win, Mercyhurst improved to 22-6 overall and 9-5 in the PSAC. Clarion dropped to 22-6 overall and 12-3 in league play. The Lakers' 22 wins are the most for the program since 1993, when they won 25 matches.
 
Mercyhurst hosts Slippery Rock in another PSAC West match tomorrow. The contest is set for a 7:05 p.m. first serve at the MAC.