Box Score
Grantham, PA — If it weren't for the fact that most cell phones display the current date and time, spectators at Wednesday's Messiah College-McDaniel College volleyball match may have thought it was late October.
The emotion and level of play could have been that of a conference championship.
In reality, it was but a mere home opener.
McDaniel narrowly edged out the Falcons in a 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 13-25, 25-19, 16-14) decision at Brubaker Arena, providing a bitter end to what was a miraculously played event by both sides. After a see-saw battle resulted in a tie 14-14 score in the fifth and final set, it was the visiting Green Terror that came up with the biggest plays late.
“This was refreshing to see tonight,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “Even though we are disappointed in the loss, you have to recognize we played at a much higher level than (last) weekend. The energy was there tonight. We just aren't quite consistent enough yet. We'll get there.”
Consistency was there for the entirety of the match — on the south end of the court, anyway. Messiah (1-2) and McDaniel (2-1) alternated set wins — at times by alarming differences — maintaining a winning side and losing side of the net throughout.
“I can't tell you how many times I've seen that,” Tobias said of the seemingly 'good' half of the court. “I've seen it at the junior high level all the way to the Olympic level. It's one of those quirks of volleyball that you can't explain.”
Tobias' club appeared to be in firm control of things after three sets were completed, starting the night on the south end and thus claiming a 2-1 lead. After hitting at a .235 clip in the first set for a 25-21 win, Messiah recorded its best attacking percentage of the night (.280) in a dominant, 25-13 third-set decision.
A 23-25 loss in the second would prove costly, however, as the Falcons watched a 16-12 lead dissipate into a 23-23 tie. Senior Trisha Trosper recorded a momentum-changing kill to knot the game at that point, but McDaniel finished with a pair of kills following a timeout to stay alive.
It would be, in retrospect, the turning point of the match.
Messiah couldn't duplicate its domineering third-set result in the fourth, hitting at a .125 clip in falling by a 19-25 score. The Falcons never led in that stanza, setting up the decisive finale.
Starting on the despised north end of the floor, McDaniel somehow reversed the evening's trend, taking advantage of a pair of Falcon shanks to take an 8-5 lead before switching ends. The Green Terror stayed ahead until a violent kill from junior Samantha Bradley tied things up at 13-13, sending Brubaker into a frenzy.
A subsequent service error would deflate the moment, but a follow-up kill from senior Amy Mattie tied the game at 14-14, again putting the decision up for grabs.
After a match that saw several volleys eclipse the 30-second mark, McDaniel put away a pair of kills that left the crowd wanting more. Almost stunningly, Messiah had lost its home opener in the most heartbreaking of fashions.
“We really should have had this one in three sets,” Tobias said afterward. “We just aren't totally clicking yet. Some of it may be lineup issues, some of it may be having seven of our 15 players new to the program this year, but we just haven't put it all together yet. It's a consistency thing.”
Bradley paced the attack for Messiah, generating 14 kills on a .400 attack percentage. Mattie wasn't far behind with 12 kills on a .231 clip, while senior Leslie Heffner and freshman Brynn Lettieri recorded nine and seven, respectively.
Senior Meghan Morrissey anchored the back line scooping 29 digs, while Mattie had 20. Junior Lauren Bourdon finished with 20 assists, also nabbing 11 digs.
“Tonight we saw a significant improvement in our ability to play at a faster pace (than last weekend),” Tobias said. “Despite the loss, this was a big improvement. Sam was incredible tonight. She brings so much life and excitement to the court, she's a great team player. We'll get back to practice and continue to search for a bit more consistency. We're closer than we were last weekend.”
Messiah will return to the multi-team event this Saturday, traveling to Bryn Mawr College for a quad-match beginning at 9 a.m. The Falcons will face off against Gwynedd Mercy College to open play.
