Box Score
Annville, PA — As far as 3-0 volleyball decisions go, things don't get much closer than Wednesday night's MAC Commonwealth showdown at Lebanon Valley College.
True, Messiah dropped only its second loss via sweep this season, but it wasn't like the 25-27, 23-25, 20-25 decision lacked opportunities. Messiah (14-6, 2-3) led 4-1 in the fist set and possessed a 6-1 lead at the outset of the second stanza, only before falling by two points in each.
The loss now pits the Falcons in a must-win game against Albright College next Wednesday, as the winner of that game will finalize the Commonwealth's four-team, post-season tournament bracket.
“We did okay tonight,” said Messiah head coach Judi Tobias. “We honestly needed someone to have a really stellar match, and no one really did that. We played pretty evenly and no one got down, but we didn't have the type of outstanding performance that we needed in order to beat a team the quality of LVC.”
Entering the night riding a 15-match winning streak, Lebanon Valley (26-2, 5-0) let Tobias' club hang around for the majority of the evening. Three Messiah kills plus a service ace from sophomore Lauren Lathrop helped the Falcons build a 4-1 lead early in the match opener, a set in which neither team would lead by more than three points throughout.
A kill from senior Trisha Trosper knotted things at 24-24 and, following an LVC kill, senior Leslie Heffner registered a solo block to push the set into extra points. An ensuing service error from freshman Brynn Lettieri put the pressure back on the visitors, however, and the host Dutchmen closed with a service ace for the 27-25 decision.
Perhaps attempting to make up for the late mistake, Letteiri came out with two service aces in the opening moments of the second set, helping Messiah to its largest lead — 6-1 — of the evening. LVC slowly crept back into things but Tobias' club still held a three-point lead at 11-8 and again at 18-15 before things started to go south. An 8-1 LVC run marked the sets next nine points, a stretch in which Messiah committed five errors and spent both its timeouts. A kill from Trosper pulled the Falcons to a 23-24 difference, but a violent swing from LVC's Emily Hopkins ended the match following a serve from junior Lauren Bourdon.
Tobias' team hit at its worst clip of the evening in the third and final set — a .029 attack percentage — but still managed an early 6-4 lead. The Falcons still led 8-5 and possessed an 18-17 lead before LVC put on another late, set-changing run, scoring eight of the stanza's final nine points en route to the 25-20 decision.
Heffner paced the Falcons' offense with eight kills on a .200 hitting percentage. Senior Amy Mattie charted seven and Trosper finished with five. Classmate Meghan Morrissey finished with 19 of the team's 69 digs — Mattie (15), Bourdon (13) and Heffner (10) provided the most support.
Bourdon successfully navigated the offense with 22 assists, but the story of the night — according to Tobias — was LVC's defensive prowess.
“They just didn't let the ball hit the floor,” Tobias said. “I thought we played pretty well, and I thought it was one of our better defensive games, but they were outstanding on their side of the net defensively. I thought Lauren Bourdon played some of the best defense she's played all season. We obviously came here wanting a win, but I was pleased that we didn't play poorly. We competed.”
Wednesday's result now makes next week's showdown with Albright an all-or-nothing affair for the Falcons, as the Lady Lions possess a 1-4 league record. A Messiah win would secure the fourth seed for the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Playoffs, while an Albright win would do the same for that program. Unbeaten Lebanon Valley and Elizabethtown College will meet next Wednesday to decide the regular-season conference champion and top seed for the post-season tournament. Widener University, with a 4-2 league mark, is assured of the three seed for tournament play.
“Our focus now is on Albright,” Tobias said. “It's obviously a must-win for both of us.”
Before that drama takes place in Brubaker Auditorium, the Falcons will first travel to Moravian College Saturday, partaking in a pair of matches. Messiah will face both Moravian and Susquehanna University. The team's first match is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
