Box Score
Winchester, VA — A sturdy effort from an undermanned Messiah squad led to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-22) win at Shenandoah University Friday night, the Falcons' fifth sweep win of the season.
Sophomores Emily Hall and Caroline Bruton failed to make the two-hour trip due to illness, but Messiah (10-10) pressed on, blasting 41 total kills to the Hornets' 14 to cruise to its sixth win in the team's last eight matches.
“It was a good win for us,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “We tried to keep focused internally, and came out wanting to work on our stuff. We were able to do that. Shenandoah has the tools, but we were able to run our offense well and do the things we wanted to do.”
Coming off perhaps the most gut-wrenching match of the season — a heartbreaking, 3-2 loss at Elizabethtown College Tuesday night — Tobias' club responded in steady fashion, overcoming a pair of early service errors to eventually find the groove behind the line, finishing with nine aces on the night.
Shenandoah (10-10) claimed its largest lead of the entire affair in the first set — an 18-13 advantage — but Messiah responded with a dominant, 12-4 run to close things out, setting the tone for the evening in the process.
A kill from sophomore Cassy Diamond and an ace from freshman Lauren Rees got the run started, while even a pair of Shenandoah timeouts couldn't stop the bleeding. A pair of Hornets' attack errors turned a 22-22 contest into a 22-24 Messiah lead, while Diamond finished things off with a service ace.
Messiah then turned in its most dominant effort of the evening in the second set, racing off to a 7-2 lead and never looking back. Three straight kills from freshman Lindsay King turned an 18-14 Falcons' lead into a 21-14 advantage, while Rees served out the set's final nine points in the 25-14 thumping.
Tobias was then able to get all of her available players into the match in the third set, while Messiah responded from an early 8-5 deficit to stay one step ahead of Shenandoah late. A 7-2 Messiah push reversed that deficit to a 12-10 lead off a kill from Rees, and the Falcons would not be denied: A brief, 18-17 lead from the Hornets was squashed thanks to a pair of kills from King, as Messiah would extend its lead to as many as four points before settling on the 25-22 final.
Rees and King each finished with a match-high 11 kills, while Diamond recorded 10. Sophomore Megan Wise scooped 15 digs and Rees 11, while King put up one solo block.
Senior Lauren Bourdon split time with sophomore Meredith Seibert at the setter position, as the duo combined for 38 assists (Bourdon 17 and Seibert 14).
Messiah hit at a .145 clip overall, limiting Shenandoah to a -.041 average.
“We served the ball where it needed to be put, and we were able to take them out of their offense,” said Deb Rutter, Messiah assistant coach. “That's a big key for us. I think the girls bounced back well from the Elizabethtown match. It was good to get on the court again and play well.”
The Falcons will return to Commonwealth Conference play next, as the team hosts perennial power Lebanon Valley College on Wednesday night.
“I think the girls are pumped to play LVC,” Rutter said. “They're a great program and we get to see them on our home floor. It should be a great test and a fun night.”
Messiah will host the Dutchmen at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in Brubaker Auditorium.
