Moravian Box Score | Susquehanna Box Score
By Bryn Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Selinsgrove, PA — It was not an enjoyable start to the weekend for Messiah volleyball, as the Falcons dropped consecutive matches at the Susquehanna University Crossover Quad on Friday night.
Messiah was soundly defeated by Moravian College 3-0 (22-25, 23-25, 21-25) and followed with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the host Hornets (23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 17-25, 11-15), dropping its season record to 4-8.
"We didn't play real well in the first match,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “We did play well in the second. We still are just really playing inconsistently and that's what is causing us to lose the fifth set in matches.”
The Falcons held a 2-1 lead in the match against Susquehanna University before dropping its final two contests in disappointing fashion, bringing comparisons to the squad's disheartening 3-2 loss to Methodist University in last weekend's Messiah Quad Match.
“Our inconsistency, that's our biggest issue right now,” Tobias said.
Against Susquehanna (5-8), Messiah was led by sophomore Brynn Lettieri, who led the team with a .429 attack percentage and finished with 11 kills. Freshman Lauren Rees paced the overall attack with 17 kills, charting a team-leading three assist blocks as well. Sophomore Casey Diamond added 12 more kills, hitting at a .276 attack percentage.
In the end, however, Susquehanna had too much down the stretch, as Messiah hit at its worst percentage in the fourth and fifth sets, while the Hornets improved to a match-best .438 clip in the finale.
The Falcons are now 0-3 in matches going the full five-set distance this season.
"We keep practicing on putting our players in team situations, creating tension, and finishing sets,” Tobias said. “We've definitely been struggling with this. We made it a team goal to win two in a row versus Susquehanna University and we did, but we still are not winning the fourth and especially the fifth set. A lot of times it comes down to experience but it also is a confidence factor. The bottom line is that we have to work on finishing games. We just need to win one fifth set and then we'll recognize that we can do it. It feels like we just coast.”
In Friday's opener, Moravian (7-5) made quicker work of the Falcons, hanging on late to secure the match in three sets. Tobias' squad took every set to the limit — losing by just a combined score of eight points — but was unable to come up with winners when necessary.
Rees again paced the Falcons' offense with 10 kills, while sophomore Lauren Lathrop anchored the back line defense with 19 digs. Freshman Lindsay King notched seven kills with a team-leading .375 attack percentage, while Diamond also placed seven attacks for points.
Messiah finished with just one service ace and two assist blocks against Moravian, both single-match season lows for the squad.
“It still comes down to fundamentals," said Tobias. "We'll always work on controlling the ball. It's so fundamental. You can't run an offense if you can't receive the ball. We have had some stellar moments but we have also had some awful moments.”
Messiah will look to return to its winning ways at home next, as the Falcons host conference foe Alvernia University Tuesday evening in Brubaker Auditorium. The Falcons will be looking to improve to 2-0 in league play — something the team has never done under the current structure of the Commonwealth Conference. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
