Erie, Pa. - After seeing their first six matches come on the road, Mercyhurst volleyball was able to play their first two contests at home on Saturday, playing both Kutztown and Bloomsburg. The Lakers were able to take the opening set against the Golden Bears but ultimately fell in four sets while taking their matchup with Bloomsburg in four. 

How it Happened 

Mercyhurst came out as the aggressors against Kutztown, taking the first set. The Lakers got on a roll, scoring seven-straight points as one point to help them take a 12-4 lead. The Golden Bears looked to make a late push, but were denied as Mercyhurst grabbed the 25-15 win.  

Kutztown made adjustments before the second set and it paid off immediately as they jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the second set. The Lakers did manage to go on a 12-8 run to close things out but it was not enough in the 25-19 defeat. The Lakers saw the same result in the third set with a 6-0 run by the Golden Bears in the middle of the canto helping them take the win and make it 2-1 while a back-and-forth affair in the fourth that slightly favored Kutztown ended the match. 

The opening set of their second matchup of the day with Bloomsburg belonged to the Huskies as they made a late push in the stanza. Neither team was able to grab the momentum in the early going with the score standing at 17-16 in favor of the Lakers after a service error. Bloomsburg managed to find their rhythm from there as they outscored Mercyhurst 8-2 the rest of the way. 

Mercyhurst came out as the better team in the second set against the Huskies with their biggest lead being six after a kill by Kate Hennessy, 12-6. Bloomsburg managed to rally, though, tying things up 20-20 before the Lakers rallied for the 25-23 victory. The Lakers then claimed the third set to take a 2-1 lead with a 25-23 win thanks in large part due to a 9-2 start. Mercyhurst then closed the door on their first win inside their friendly confines in the fourth set. The Lakers trailed for much of the final canto before tying things up 24-24 with a kill from Andrea Zaric tying things up. Zaric then finished things off to take the 26-24 win and move to 2-6 on the year. 

Highlights 

Kate Hennessy led the way in kills on the day with 22 while Andrea Zaric came in second with 18, collecting 14 of those against Bloomsburg. Alexa Mitchell was the go-to facilitator with 59 assists on the day to lead the team while Paige Miller had 32 digs to lead the way. 

Next Game 

Mercyhurst goes on the road for their next matchup as they go to Indiana, Pa. To face the Crimson Hawks on Tuesday September 19th, in a 6:00 p.m. start. They then round out the week with Cal (Pa.) at home on the 23rd at 2:00 p.m.