Box Score
Middletown, PA — An impressive comeback from the youngest players on Messiah's roster helped the club hang on to a 3-0 win at Penn State University-Harrisburg Thursday night, as the Falcons recorded their fourth straight sweep in a 25-16, 25-15, 29-27 decision.
After coasting through the first two sets with little resistance, head coach Judi Tobias inserted freshmen Cassy Diamond, Caroline Bruton, Lauren Lathrop, Brittany Salloum and Emily Hall along with sophomores Jessica Gould, Rebecca Patterson and Katlin Nolt for the majority of the third stanza, a move that nearly cost Messiah (14-5) a blemish.
Penn State-Harrisburg (6-13) turned an 11-11 tie into a 19-13 lead, and still led by a 21-16 difference before the tide eventually turned.
“This was another good win for us, but the highlight of the night was the way in which we responded in that third set,” Tobias said. “It was great to see those young kids come back so late in the game.”
With the Falcons' usual starters dressed in warm-up apparel while looking on from the bench, it was clear that Messiah would finish with its younger group of players regardless of the third-set outcome. A much-needed kill from Diamond was followed by a service ace from Patterson, and Tobias' club pulled within an 18-21 difference.
The host Lady Lions charted one of their six third-set kills on the next exchange, but three straight serves from Lathrop following a PSU-Harrisburg mistake equated into Messiah points, getting the Falcons back to a 22-22 deadlock.
From that point, it would be a battle of the first to get ahead by two, as the teams traded leads on six occasions down the stretch. A pair of errors from the hosts turned a 27-26 Penn State lead into a 28-27 Messiah advantage, while Hall finished things off with a service ace.
“(That group) did a good job of staying poised late,” Tobias said.
Little if any fortitude was necessary for the Falcons' usual suspects, however, as the team hit at a ridiculous .486 attack percentage in running away with the initial 25-16 victory. As Tobias shuffled the lineup slightly in the second set, Messiah's hitting clip dipped only to .303, outscoring the Lady Lions by an 8-1 difference over the stanza's final nine points to end things 25-15.
All available players spent time on the floor in the win, with freshman Brynn Lettieri leading the offensive pace with nine kills on a .667 clip. Senior Leslie Heffner was next in line with seven attacks for points, while Diamond added six.
Junior Lauren Bourdon finished with 23 assists in sets one and two, while Gould effectively ran the offense in the game-clinching third, finishing with seven assists.
Senior Meghan Morrissey scooped a team-leading 14 digs on the night, while Lathrop was not far behind with 12.
“We are definitely playing better over our last few outings,” Tobias said. “We've got some sore, banged up bodies, so it was extra nice that our younger players were able to finish this one off in three. We did not want to go to a fourth set tonight.”
Messiah will remain idle through the weekend, returning to MAC Commonwealth competition Wednesday evening. The Falcons will then travel to Lebanon Valley College for an opportunity to knock off the league leaders, as LVC boasts a 4-0 league mark and a 24-2 record overall. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
