Box Score
Chester, PA — Hoping to swing its collective momentum in a positive direction within MAC Commonwealth play, things did not go as planned for the Messiah College volleyball team Wednesday night at Widener University. Messiah dropped an 18-25, 23-25, 17-25 decision to the host Pride, suffering its first 3-0 loss of the season while dropping its second straight conference tilt in as many attempts.
For a team picked to finish second in the Commonwealth's pre-season coaches' poll, it was not the start the Falcons had hoped for.
“We did not play well tonight, and we did not play inspired volleyball,” said head coach Judi Tobias. “We must get better and we must do so quickly. Tonight was nowhere near the level of play that this team is capable of.”
Messiah (8-4, 0-2) recorded just 26 kills on the evening — its second-lowest tally of the season — while hitting at a .118 attack percentage, a mark beaten in futility just once (in a 3-1 win over Methodist University).
Despite the team's shortcomings, it still put itself in a position to do some damage early. A service ace from senior Leslie Heffner gave the Falcons an early 8-4 lead in the first set, and it appeared as if Tobias' club would set the night's tempo.
A 14-4 Widener run changed all of that, however, as the Pride claimed a 18-12 lead via the help of six Falcons errors on varying fronts.
Unable to recover in the first set, Messiah found the landscape eerily similar in the second. A Widener service error pushed the Falcons' advantage to 9-6 while a Pride attack error kept the Messiah spread at plus three — 16-13 — again opening the door for the visitors.
A kill from senior Amy Mattie negated a brief push from Widener to make the score 19-16, Messiah, and yet again the Falcons seemed primed to force a lengthy match.
Instead, Widener (13-3, 2-0) closed with another spurt — this one a 9-4 difference — winning the second set 25-23 and all but sucking the remaining life out of Tobias' club. Messiah effectively played the part of a dejected bunch in the third stanza, falling behind by a 10-18 score and never getting close in the 25-17 sweeper.
No Falcon player registered double-digit kill totals, while Mattie (eight) and Heffner (six) led the way. Senior Meghan Morrissey finished with a match-high 18 digs. Messiah recorded just one solo block — courtesy of junior Samantha Bradley — on the evening.
“We have to improve and improve quickly,” said Tobias, “or we won't have a shot at seeing how we compete in the post-season.”
Messiah will have a reasonable amount of time to work on its current shortcomings, as the team is idle this weekend and will reopen play next Wednesday against another conference opponent. The Falcons will travel to Lycoming College Oct. 1. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
