Hood Box Score | Catholic Box Score
Washington, D.C. — The Messiah College volleyball team continued its sharp play Saturday afternoon, defeating Hood College 3-0 (25-8, 26-24, 25-15) and Catholic University of America 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-15) at the Catholic University Tri-Match. It was the fourth and fifth sweeps for the Falcons in their last six outings, providing an uplifting preface to the team's MAC Commonwealth Conference opener — against rival Elizabethtown College — Wednesday.
Messiah (7-2) took advantage of some favorable scheduling early Saturday, jumping on Hood (0-6) after the Braves fell by a 3-1 score against host Catholic in the day's first match. The Falcons quickly pummeled Hood by a 25-8 score in the first set, before being extended into an extra point in the second stanza.
Ten kills from senior Amy Mattie on a .368 attack percentage and six from junior Samantha Bradley on a remarkable .857 clip quickly ended any thoughts of a giveaway, however, as Messiah cruised to the third-set 25-15 win.
Senior Leslie Heffner provide nine kills in the win, as junior Lauren Boudron finished with a team-best seven service aces — serving a remarkable 17 balls in the first set alone. She also added 20 assists and a team-leading seven digs.
“Hood invested a lot emotionally against Catholic, then having to turn around 30 minutes later and play us was tough,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “We played consistent volleyball throughout the day, though. There were no lulls.”
Facing Catholic (4-8) in the event's finale, Messiah looked equally as impressive. The Falcons never trailed in the match against the host Cardinals, hitting a collective .231 to keep things from getting remotely interesting.
“We're pleased with how we played in both matches today,” Tobias said. “We played aggressively and confident. We didn't play down a level, but rather made our opponents have to play up to our level. That was exciting to see.”
Tobias' club utilized an approach by committee against Catholic, as Heffner's nine kills and Mattie's eight attacks for points led the way. Sophomore Jessica Gould (15 assists) shared time with Bourdon (16 assists) in running the offense, while senior Meghan Morrissey finished with six digs in a memorable effort.
“Amy had a good, consistent day, hitting the ball well and passing the ball well,” Tobias said. “Meghan played phenomenal defense in both matches. She was picking up line shots and passing nails. Overall a very good day for her as well.”
Saturday's wins now pave the way for what promises to be an entertaining event in Brubaker Auditorium Wednesday, as Messiah will host league rival Elizabethtown College to open conference play. E'Town has had the Falcons' number by the slimmest of margins over the last two years, winning a pair of 3-2 matches — each by 15-12 scores in the final set — in both seasons.
“We're excited,” Tobias said of Wednesday's opportunity. “We'll play the game aggressively and see what we can do. It will be very good competition for us. I'm sure E'Town won't fail to show up and I'm pretty confident we won't, either.”
Game time with the Blue Jays is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
