CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Mercyhurst volleyball team shook off their first loss of the season suffered last night to take a pair of matches at the PSAC/Mountain East crossover hosted by the University of Charleston. The Lakers downed the host Golden Eagles and Urbana University Blue Knights for the second time in two weeks.
LAKERS 3, Charleston 0 (Hurst wins by scores of 25-18, 25-21, and 25-13).
The two teams shared the opening eight points to be locked at 4-4. Mercyhurst took six of the ensuing ten points with
Beth Brady nabbing a pair of kills for a 10-8 lead. A Beyonce Andrews trimmed it to 10-9, before another Brady score capped a 5-2 stretch to grab a 15-11 edge. The Golden Eagles got to within 15-13 and 16-14, but two home errors along with a Kaite Baird kill extended the gap to 20-14. The Lakers ended the first on a 5-4 push as
Madison Kasper closed it off at 25-18.
Mercyhurst was out of the gates strong in the second as
Addy Benjamin,
Leah Kern, Kasper, and Brady gave the visitors a 6-3 lead. Charleston got to 6-5 when Sydney Burt put one away, but a 5-1 run on points from Baird and Brady made it 11-6. Again the Golden Eagles tried to hang tough when a Burt kill trimmed the gap to 13-11. However, Mercyhurst charged back as four different players recorded kill on four consecutive points for the 17-11 advantage. A 5-1 flight by Charleston brought the margin to 18-16. The Lakers never let the home team any closer as Kasper closed the frame with a kill 25-21.
The third set began as a nip-and-tuck affair with a Kern kill deadlocking things at 7-7. Mercyhurst then saw four kills from Baird and three by Kasper open things up to 15-9. Charleston got kills by Brianna Washburn and Rachel Phalen to within 15-12, However, a 10-1 Lakers rampage ended match with Brady, Kasper, and Kern recording kills for the 25-13 victory.
Three Mercyhurst players had double-digit kills Kasper (15), Brady (14), and Baird (11).
Mary Marusza doled out 42 assists.
Charleston was led by five kills for Burt.
LAKERS 3, Urbana 1 (Hurst wins by scores of 25-22, 25-19, 23-25, and 25-20)
With the score knotted at 5-5 to start the match a Brady kill sparked a 6-3 push aided by five kills from Baird to claim an 11-8 lead. A Kaitlin Trace score broke the momentum for a minute, before Kasper, Kern, and Brady led a 6-1 charge to open up a six-point margin 17-11. The Blue Knights battled back using an 11-4 run to draw level again 21-21. Lexi Reinert gave Urbana the 22-21 edge, before a
Hannah Vuylsteke ace and assisted block by Kern and Kasper ended the frame 25-22.
Urbana began the second strong taking a 10-5 lead on a Hannah Delor kill. Mercyhurst used a 7-3 push with scores by Baird and Benjamin to cut the deficit to 13-12. The Blue Knights continued to lead out to 15-13, before a Brady kill sent the Lakers on an 8-2 charge with the only other kills coming off the arms of
Tess Ganich and Baird to capture the 21-17 advantage. Kern would post an ace and Baird along with Brady recorded kills to win 25-19.
The Blue Knights opened the following set with a 13-6 charge to go ahead by seven on a Riley Adleta kill. Mercyhurst cut the margin by one scoring five of the next nine on kills by Vuylsteke and Ganich to make it 17-11. The Lakers continued to rally with Ganich,
Hailey Wilson, and Baird helping to pull the team to within 20-19. Urbana outscored Mercyhurst 5-4 down the stretch to end the set 25-23.
The two sides split the first dozen points of the fourth, before an 8-2 spurt by the Lakers on scores from Baird, Wilson, and
Anne Borah made it 14-8. Six of the next ten went to the Blue Knights as a Maggie Burns kill cut the margin to just four 18-14. The teams exchanged points over the next little bit as a Wilson kill just the lead at 24-20, before a Kern kill ended the match 25-20.
Baird led the Lakers with 18 kills, four blocks, and four digs. Brady, Ganich, Kern, and Wilson combined for 23 kills. Vuylsteke had a team-high 34 digs with Marusza adding 41 assists.
Delor, Reinert, and Burns all posted double-digit kills for Urbana.
Mercyhurst returns to action on Friday, September 20 when they take part in the Wheeling Invitational against Fairmont State at 1pm, before battling the host Cardinals at 7pm.
