Box Score
Grantham, PA — The Messiah volleyball team made the most of its annual “Dig For The Cause” match Saturday afternoon in Brubaker Auditorium, defeating visiting Penn State University-Altoona 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 in the squad's first 3-0 victory at home this season.
Perhaps more importantly, Messiah (8-3) was able to raise money to benefit cancer research, participating in “Dig For The Cause” — the team's fall leg of its yearly participation in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life campaign.
Wearing purple-tinted uniforms and collecting donations for each of the team's digs on the afternoon (Messiah finished with 59), the Falcons rallied back from a significant deficit late in the third set to complete its sixth shut out of the year.
“It was a good day for a lot of reasons,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “We have a couple people very close to our program who's loved ones have been affected by cancer, so today was our way of trying to generate some awareness for cancer research. It was good to get a solid win at home as well.”
Tobias' club was able to do that despite falling behind by a 21-16 score in the third set, needing a triumphant finish to stay unblemished on the afternoon. Penn State-Altoona (3-11) possessed a 23-18 lead before Messiah rattled off seven straight points, highlighted by a vicious solo block from freshman Brynn Lettieri to unlock a 23-23 score.
With Brubaker rocking, Messiah was able to secure the final point against an undersized Lions' lineup, as PSU-Altoona's middle hitter had to come out with an injury following Lettieri's denial.
Messiah's best set — performance-wise — came early, as the Falcons hit .211 in the first stanza to claim the 25-19 win. No individual recorded double-digit kill totals, while freshman Cassy Diamond led the team with seven on a .250 attacking percentage. Lettieri was next in line with six on a .235 clip, while junior Samantha Bradley recorded five.
The Lions boasted 11 freshmen and no seniors on a 13-athlete roster.
“We are young, but they are really young,” Tobias said. “We were better today in a lot of areas than we were against E'Town on Wednesday. We have to keep moving forward and getting better. This was a good step in the right direction.”
Junior Lauren Bourdon finished with 13 assists and four kills, while senior Trisha Trosper equaled that kill total on a .400 clip. Classmate Meghan Morrissey scooped 15 digs, while senior Amy Mattie recorded 13.
“Trisha doesn't get a lot of (attacking) attempts because she plays just two and a half rotations, but she did what she needed to do in that period today,” Tobias said. “Brynn continues to come on strong, and she is so fun to watch. She's learning so much so fast, and is constantly looking to do things better. She's a true team player. Cassy continues to work at diversifying her offense, and is also getting better. I was thrilled with how we battled back in the third set today. This was a good one for us.”
While enjoying the win, fans were also encouraged to donate to the Dig For The Cause fund, a campaign that Tobias said has a chance to generate a respectable amount of money once all the pledges are collected. Tobias' club participates as a team in the Relay For Life event on Messiah's campus in May as well.
“We needed a nice, solid win at here at home, and to get that today with everything else going on was great,” Tobias said.
Messiah will return to MAC Commonwealth play next, as the club will travel to Widener University Wednesday. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
