Box Score
York, PA — A tremendous start was followed by a less-than-stellar finish in Messiah's season opener Tuesday night, as the Falcons dropped a 1-3 (25-23, 17-25, 13-25, 17-25) decision at York College.
Messiah (0-1) was able to capture an emotional win in the first set behind a .059 team hitting clip, but fizzled in the evening's final three stanzas, committing a total 10 serve receive errors to go with nine service errors.
“We played a little better tonight than we did in our scrimmage (Saturday at Gettysburg College), which is not good,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “Fundamentally we didn't talk tonight, and that was a big part of our problem. We're inexperienced and we're really young, but no excuses. We've got talent and we will get better.”
The Falcons displayed some of that talent at the outset of Tuesday's match, finishing a nip-and-tuck first set with crucial points late. A tip kill from sophomore Brynn Lettieri erased a 22-22 tie in the first set, while a slide attack from classmate Cassy Diamond would put away the 25-23 Messiah win.
Tobias' club appeared to sustain momentum through the early portions of the night's second set, but a 5-0 York run changed not only the score — but the complexion of the entire evening. A 5-2 Messiah lead quickly changed to a 7-5 Spartan advantage, and the Falcons would not sniff a lead again. A -.200 hitting percentage and a match-best .280 clip from York ended in a 25-17 difference, as Messiah failed to get any closer than six points after falling behind by an 18-11 score.
If Messiah was shaken by York's early run in the second set, the team would be decimated by an even bigger surge from the hosts in the third. After a violent kill from sophomore Emily Hall gave the Falcons an 11-10 lead in the third frame, York played perhaps its best volleyball as a response, scoring the set's next 11 points to take a commanding 21-11 lead.
Messiah would get no closer than eight points the remainder of the way, putting the visitors in a tough position at a raucous Charles Wolf Gymnasium.
“We have a lot of sophomores on our team that didn't get a lot of experience last year, so they're kind of learning as they go in regards to game experience,” Tobias said. “We've worked hard on communication in practice. We've got to keep working on it.”
As the large crowd urged the Spartans on in their season opener as well, Messiah simply could not muster a comeback in the fourth and final set. York slowly increased its lead throughout the final stanza, going ahead by eight points on three different occasions before settling on the 23-17 final.
Lettieri paced Messiah's attack, registering six kills on a team-leading. 333 attack percentage. Diamond provided six kills as well, while senior setter Lauren Bourdon mixed things up at the net to finish with five kills.
Bourdon put up 20 assists despite having to stay mobile for much of the evening, as eight service aces from York alluded to the pressure Messiah's back row was under. Freshman Megan Wise was impressive in her first collegiate match, finishing with a match-high 17 digs.
Lettieri, Diamond and freshman Lindsay King all finished with two assist blocks, leading the Falcons' defense at the net.
“We got a little taste of winning a set tonight, and that helps a little bit, but it's not a big enough bite,” Tobias said. “I was pleased with the play of (freshman) Annie Reck (two kills, four digs in one set played). She did a great job — and was better than I expected. She got a couple kills under her belt and played relaxed.
“As a whole, we just struggled putting the ball away on the outside, and that's something that has to change,” she continued. “We have 30 matches to get settled yet. We'll keep working.”
Messiah will travel to the Gettysburg College Battlefield Classic this weekend, competing in a total of four matches over Friday and Saturday. The Falcons will face off against Neumann College to open play at 5 p.m. Friday. Complete information on the Battlefield Classic, including composite schedule and competing teams, is available here.
