ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst women's volleyball team completed a 2-0 weekend and won their third straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference contest bringing down the visiting Marauders of Millersville University by a 3-1 score on Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Millersville got out to an early 4-2 lead, before a kill from Tess Ganich and a guest ballhandling error leveled the score 4-4.  Carley Baughman, Lindsey Blevins, and a couple of Mercyhurst miscues moved the visitors up 9-6.  The Lakers responded with a 6-1 run getting scores from Katie Baird, Alyssa Zirnheld, and Madison Kasper to grab thier second lead of the set 11-9.  The two sides split the ensuing eight points allowing the hosts to maintain the two-point cushion 15-13.  The Marauders stormed back recapture the lead with a 7-2 push coming on scores by Chyna Gubbings, Jayci Suseland, and Baughman to go ahead 20-17.  A Zirnheld kill pulled the home side to within 21-20, but Hailey Butler, Gubbings, and Suseland capped off a 25-20 win. 

Neither team seized control of the second at the start as through a dozen points it was deadlocked 6-6.  Mercyhurst grabbed the momentum with a 5-1 charge thanks to Leah Kern, Kasper, and Zirnheld to take the 11-7 lead.   A home attacking error trimmed the margin to 11-10, but from there the Lakers sailed away using a 9-2 run on kills from Hannah Vuylsteke, Zoe Gadomski, Baird, Ganich, Kasper, and Kern to lead by eight 20-12.  Millersville did not go away however as Katie Laughman, Rebecca Dalstad, Baughman, Gubbings, Butler, and Suseland brought them almost all the way back as the score was 22-19.  Mercyhurst took three of the following five points with Addy Benjamin, Kern, and Baird supplying the offense in the 25-21 victory.  

The Lakers began the third up 6-2 as Beth Brady, Benjamin, and Ganich produced the points.  An ace off the hand of Gadomski extended the advantage to seven 11-4, before Laughman, Blevins, and Gubbings produced kills to cut the deficit to 11-8.  Four of the next nine went the way of Mercyhurst with points by Zirnheld, Kern, Benjamin, and Kasper accounting for the scores to lead by a slim 15-13 margin.  A 4-1 stretch put together by Zirnheld, Ganich, and Baird pushed the advantage to five 19-14.  Millersville answered right back with a 5-1 run to once again get within in 20-19, but Zirnheld, Kasper, and Kern wrapped up the set 25-20.  

Ganich picked up three kills to start the fourth and Mary Marusza added an ace to go in front 6-2.  Three straight by the Marauders had it down to 6-5, before Zirnheld put away a pair of kills aided by an assisted block between Kasper and Kern made it 10-5.  A kill about midway into the frame from Benjamin extended the gap to six 14-8.  Then, Millersville attempted to mount a charge going on a 5-2 run on scores put down by Suseland and Blevins to make it 16-13.  Zirnheld added two kills followed by a solo off the hand of Kasper to put the Lakers five points from victory 20-16.  With Mercyhurst in front 23-17, the visitors got kills by Gubbings, Dalstad, Suseland, and Blevins to get within 24-22, but Baird let them no closer as she put down the final kill of the contest.

Mercyhurst was led by 18 kills from Zirnheld, while Baird added 13 with Ganich picking up 11.  Vuylsteke had a team-high 29 digs, with Claire Kenny and Baird also hitting double-digits in that category.  Kenny handed out a team best 24 assists.  

Millersville got a dozen kills each from Blevins and Suseland.  Kat Forry chipped in 20 digs, while Laughman dished out 37 helpers.  

The Lakers head back out on the road next weekend as they travel to Shepherd University and Shippensburg for a pair of PSAC matches on Friday and Saturday.