Box Score
Grantham, PA — A six-match Messiah winning streak skidded to a sudden halt Wednesday night, as the Falcons dropped a 3-1 (18-25, 14-25, 25-23, 15-25) decision to MAC Commonwealth Conference rival Elizabethtown College in Brubaker Auditorium.
Messiah (7-3, 0-1) couldn't overcome a trio of slow starts and some deft serving by the visiting Blue Jays (6-4, 1-0), as Elizabethtown rattled off 13 service aces in handing the Falcons their first 3-1 loss of the season.
“They served us over tonight,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “We struggled to receive their serves, and since we couldn't pass well, we couldn't get our offense started. Their serving was excellent. It took us out of our offense. We are a much better passing team than we showed tonight.”
Messiah registered just 31 assists on a team .194 attack percentage, facing an extreme uphill climb in each of its three losses: The Falcons trailed 18-10 in the first set, 9-2 in the second and 8-2 in the fourth.
“It's hard to recover from those types of starts, especially against a team the quality of E'Town,” Tobias said. “(The) 18 (point mark) is a critical point. We had to scramble to get back into things tonight.”
Tobias' squad was able to pull back to a 23-17 deficit in the evening's first set, but a total nine kills on a .088 attack percentage foiled any hopes of a comeback. Things only got worse in the second, as a match-low four kills came via a .000 attacking clip. Junior Sam Bradley recorded one of those numbers off a tip kill to make the score 15-13, E'Town, but the Blue Jays closed with a 10-1 run to win going away.
The Falcons' saving grace came in the third set, where a stronger start and some solid serving on its own accord helped to the 25-23 win. A rare service error from the visitors gave Messiah a 10-9 lead in that stanza, and the Falcons would never trail from that point on. Senior Amy Mattie recorded three straight service aces to make the score 13-9, while a kill from classmate Leslie Heffner provided the set's final point — negating a last-ditch comeback effort from E'Town.
The Blue Jays would need no such rally in the fourth set, however, as Messiah's bid to extend the match to its maximum stumbled early. Three serve receive errors helped Elizabethtown build its aforementioned 8-2 lead, and Messiah would only get within four — in a 10-6 difference off a Mattie kill — before falling.
Mattie and junior Samantha Bradley paced Messiah's attack, each generating nine kills off .400 and .353 attack percentages, respectively. Mattie recorded six of the Falcons' 10 service aces. Heffner finished with eight kills, while freshman Brynn Lettieri blasted seven on a .385 effort.
Junior Lauren Bourdon (16 assists) and sophomore Jessica Gould (13 assists) shared time at the setter position, while senior Meghan Morrissey finished with a team-high 15 digs. Bradley was the defensive leader up front, registering two solo and two assist blocks.
The defeat was a disappointing open to Messiah's conference slate, while keeping E'Town on a recent roll in the series: The Blue Jays have now claimed the last five meetings between the clubs, with the previous two wins coming in five-set marathons.
“I thought we were excited but not overly excited to face E'Town,” Tobias said. “We tried to walk that fine line. I thought we were ready. Now though, our goal is to get another crack at them. We've got to keep improving and getting better. You hope to see them again, because if you do, it's in the (conference) playoffs. That's our goal now.”
Messiah will first head back to non-league play, as the team will host Penn State University-Altoona Saturday. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
