AMHERST, N.Y. - The Mercyhurst volleyball team got double-digit kills from Alyssa Zirnheld and Tess Ganich en route to a 3-1 win over Urbana University (Ohio) on day one of the Daemen College Volleyball Invitational.

The Lakers took the match by set scores of 25-15, 21-25, 25-17, and 25-15.

Mercyhurst stormed out to a 8-2 lead in the first set with kills from Addy Benjamin, Beth Brady, and Ganich.  A 4-2 run by the Blue Knights brought it to 9-5, before points by Katie Baird, Madison Kasper, and Zirnheld stretched the edge back to 13-6.  Later with the score at 14-9 the Lakers exploded with a 6-1 push finished by a Ganich kill for a 20-10 lead.  Zirnheld capped off the first with a kill off a Mary Marusza assist for a 25-15 win.

With the score 8-8 in the second, a Kasper kill started a string of three straight for Mercyhurst to grab an 11-8 advantage.  Urbana used three Laker errors to aid a 7-2 charge to snag a slim 15-13 edge.  The Blue Knights let their opponents get as close as 18-16, before using a Lexi Reinert kill to finish the frame 25-21.

For the second time in the match Mercyhurst got out to a fast start as aces by Hannah Vuylsteke and Ganich coupled with kills for Zirnheld, Baird, and Brady made it 15-8.  A Reinert error opened the gap to 18-9, before Maggie Burns and Reinert pulled Urbana to within 18-12.  The teams exchanged 3-0 runs leaving the margin at six 21-15.  Kills for Kasper and Ganich wrapped up the third 25-17.

The teams split the opening eight points in the fourth, but kills by Leah Kern and Kasper helped make it 8-4 Lakers.  A mishit by the Blue Knights Kaitlin Trace gave Mercyhurst an 11-5 advantage.  With the score 13-8, back-to-back kills for Hannah Delor gave Urbana life at 13-10, however the Lakers stopped the rally with an 8-1 gallop on kills from Benjamin, Ganich, and Baird to make it 21-11.  Both sides would score four more points as a kill by Zirnheld ended the match 25-15.

Kasper and Benjamin combined for 15 kills, while Vuylsteke led the side in digs with 27.  The duo of Claire Kenny and Marusza dished out 30 assists with Kenny pacing the team with 20.  

Urbana got 13 kills each from Maggie Burns and Delor.  Anna Davis handed out a match-high 30 helpers. 

The Lakers are back in action tomorrow, September 7 once again at the Daemen College Invitational as they play two matches.  First, at 11am Mercyhurst faces Ursuline College, before taking on the host Daemen at 5:30pm.