WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. - The Mercyhurst women's volleyball rebounded nicely after a pair of tough losses on Friday night to Fairmont State and Wheeling to down Notre Dame (Ohio) and the host West Liberty on day two of the PSAC/Mountain East Crossover on Saturday afternoon. 

LAKERS 3, Notre Dame (Ohio) 0  (Hurst wins by scores of 26-24, 25-15, and 25-10)

The Lakers started off quick in the first with Beth Brady, Katie Baird, Leah Kern, and Alyssa Zirnheld all recording kills to stake them to an 8-4 lead.  Paige Staudacher led a 3-1 Falcons charge to trim the score to 9-7, before Tess Ganich, Zirnheld, and Baird opened it back up to 12-7.  Mary Kate McHugh and Katie Richardson accounted for three of the next five Notre Dame points during a 5-2 outburst bringging them to within 14-12.  Kills by Zirnheld, Ganich, and Addy Benjamin gave Mercyhurst a trio of three-point leads with the last one coming at 19-16, before McHugh made it 19-17.  An attack error from Sarah DeGeorge put the Lakers a point away 24-19.  However, the Falcons rallied back with Richardson and DeGeorge leading a 5-0 run to level the score 24-24.  Kills off the arms of Julia Vanill and Zirnheld ended the frame 26-24.  

To begin the second Brady and Ganich staked the Lakers to an early 4-1 edge.  Notre Dame answered back with four straight thanks to McHugh, Kaye Dregalla and Roberta Jokubauskait to nab the 5-4 lead.  Mercyhurst grabbed five of the ensuing nine points on kills by Kern, Baird, and Madison Kasper drawing even 9-9.  From there the Lakers seized control with a 9-1 run getting scores from Baird, Kern, Kasper, and Zirnheld to take a commanding 18-10 advantage.  A Mercyhurst miscue brought the Falcons to within 22-15, but Benjamin, Kern, and Ganich capped things off 25-15.

Led by four kills and a block by Ganich the Lakers started the third up 6-0, before a kill by Dregalla brought the margin to 6-2.  A 5-2 Mercyhurst charge on points from Baird, Kasper, and Ganich made it 11-4.  McHugh cut the deficit down to six 12-6, but Kasper began a stretch of six consecutive Lakers points aided by Zirnheld, Brady, Hailey Wilson, and Anne Borah to lead 18-6.  An attack error off the hand of Dregalla gave Mercyhurst their largest advantage of the set 21-7.  Dregalla picked up two kills on a 3-1 Falcons run, however, Kern and Kasper wrapped it up on kills 25-10.

Baird (15), Ganich (12), and Zirnheld (10) all posted double-digit kills.  Vuylsteke, Brady, and Alexa Mitchell each recorded ten-plus digs, with Vuylsteke 16 leading the way. 

McHugh was the lone Falcon with double-figure kills 11.

LAKERS 3, West Liberty 0 (Hurst wins by scores of 25-18, 25-20, and 25-22)

Mercyhurst jumped out to a sizeable 9-2 lead on kills by Brady, Ganich, Kasper, Kern, and Baird.  A 7-3 West Liberty push led by Olivia Baumhoer, Nina Billotto, Madison Clayton, and Renee Lemke pulled the deficit to 12-9.  The Lakers responded with a 6-2 charge on scores from Baird and Ganich 18-11.  The two sides shared the next ten points as an attack error from Clayton allowed the visitors to maintain the seven-point edge 23-16.  A kill off the arm of Baird ended the first 25-18.  

The Lakers again started strong in the second with aces by Mitchell and Brady recorded aces along with three kills from Ganich made it 6-2.  Four straight by the Hilltoppers knotted the score 6-6, prior to a 6-1 Mercyhurst run led by Baird, Vuylsteke, and Ganich to extend the margin to 12-7.  Kills by Baird, Kern, Kasper, and Zirnheld kept the home team at bay 18-10.  The two sides exchanged 4-0 pushes keeping the gap at eight 22-14.  West Liberty went on a 6-3 climb the rest of the set, but it was not enough as a kill from Kate Hennessy wrapped it up 25-20.  

Neither side could separate early in the third as the two teams split the first eight points.  Mercyhurst tried to establish command using a 5-3 push on kills by Kern, Baird, Zirnheld, and Borah to go in front 9-6.  The Hilltoppers closed the gap to 11-9 on a kill from Baumhoer, which then resulted in a 6-2 run with kills coming from Mackenzie Sims, Baumhoer, and Morgan Farley to take a small 15-13 lead.  The Lakers stormed back as Baird, Zirnheld, and Kasper led a 8-2 gallop and a 21-17 advantage.  Two visiting errors and a Kirsten Bogunovich kill gave the home side life at 22-20, but kills from Borah, Baird, and Kern finished off the match 25-22.

Baird was the only Laker with double-digit kills 14, with Ganich (8), Kasper (7), and Zirnheld (6) helping out the cause.  Vuylsteke had a team-high 26 digs, while the setting duo of Mary Marusza and Mitchell accounted for 32 assists.  

The Hilltoppers got a combined 17 kills from Baumhoer and Billotto.  

After 11 matches away from Erie the Lakers finally have their Home Opener on Thursday, September 26 when they welcome Bloomsburg University for the PSAC Opener at 7:05 pm inside the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.