Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Volleyball team split a pair of matches against Malone University and Notre Dame College on Saturday afternoon. The Lakers were victorious over the Pioneers in five sets while they fell to the Falcons in three straight. With Saturday's results the Lakers finished their opening weekend with a 1-2 record. 
 
Game One, Malone University: 3-2 Win
 
Set one of the first match against Malone was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. After being tied at four, kills from Kaitlin Murphy, Kate Hennessy, and Kylie Schnars kept the Lakers within one of the Pioneers making the score 10-9. However, Malone pulled away winning the set 25-17.
 
Set two began similarly to the first with the teams staying within two points of each other. The Lakers went on a five-point run with kills from Maggie Thomas and Hennessy and an ace from Murphy. The Lakers hung on to the lead and finished the set 25-13 sealed by another Hennessy kill and tying the match at one set apiece. 
 
In the third set of the morning, Malone took an early 5-1 lead but after a Mercyhurst time out they closed the deficit and pulled within one point of the Pioneers. The Lakers tried to capitalize off multiple attack errors from Malone and three kills from Hennessy but could not hang on dropping set three 26-24 putting Malone in front two sets to one. 
 
The Lakers went on an early run with kills from Miller and Schnars to put them on top 5-2 early on. Malone would come back taking a 13-11 lead, but Mercyhurst scored seven of the last eight points with three kills from Miller to win the set 25-21 and force a fifth set. 
 
Neither team could find momentum in the first 15 points of the final set of the morning allowing them to flop sides at a score of 8-7 with the advantage going to the Pioneers. The Lakers seemed to find a spark after switching benches going on a seven-point streak with a kill from Thomas, a service ace from Isa McCaffrey, and multiple mistakes from the other side of the net giving them a 14-8 lead. The Pioneers didn't go silently however, going on a five-point streak of their own ended by a kill from Thomas sealing the final set and giving the Lakers their first win of the season. 
 
Hennessy and Schnars led the Lakers with 13 kills each, Miller was right behind them with a dozen. McCaffery was the lead table setter for Mercyhurst with 28 assists, Zoe Gadomski's 26 digs were a team high.
 
Game Two, Notre Dame College: 3-0 Loss
 
The Lakers welcomed Notre Dame College to the MAC to close out their opening weekend of games. The Falcons made the short trip up State Street after losing to Gannon 3-0 in the morning and were determined to not drop another contest on the day.
 
Mercyhurst looked to still be riding high off their win in the morning, taking a early 5-2 lead in the first set, aided by a pair of Gadomski aces and two kills from Schnars. Notre Dame responded by winning the next 11 points, never looking back to take the opening set 25-16.
 
In the second set the Lakers once again had a quick lead from another Gadomski ace. The Falcons once again answered. With the score tied 4-4 early, Notre Dame went on to win 16 of the next 20 points to be comfortably ahead 20-8. Miller and Corrine Bechtold provided kills in an effort to try and slow down the Falcons, who eventually took the set 25-13 and led the match 2-0.
 
The third set featured back and forth action with each team having mini spurts as the lead changed. With the score tied 6-6, the Lakers won four consecutive points, highlighted by kills from Hennessy, Andrea Zaric and Murphy, to grab their largest lead of the afternoon at 10-6. Once again a response from the Falcons immediately tied it at 10-all. 
 
After a Mercyhurst timeout, Zaric picked up another pair of kills in next couple of minutes to put the Lakers up narrowly, 14-13. After the Falcons had some kills of their own, Zaric once again put one away to make it 16-15 but that was as close as Mercyhurst would come to regaining the lead, falling 25-17.
 
Miller and Zaric had seven kills each for the Lakers who's 24 errors put them behind the eight-ball throughout much of the match. Miller's eleven digs were also a team-high.
 
Mercyhurst has the week off before heading up I-90 for two games next Sunday against Clarion and Franklin Pierce in Amherst, NY.