Box Scores: Messiah v. Salisbury - Messiah v. Washington - Messiah v. Lincoln - Messiah v. Scranton
Gettysburg, PA — Three straight wins helped mute a tournament-opening loss at this weekend's Gettysburg College Battlefield Classic, as Messiah knocked off Washington College, Lincoln University and the University of Scranton in the 13-team event held Friday and Saturday.
Following a 0-3 (14-25, 24-26, 22-25) defeat to the Sea Gulls, Messiah came back Friday evening to outduel Washington 3-1 (25-17, 26-24, 21-25, 25-19) and then handled Saturday's competition behind a 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-21) win over Lincoln and a 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 25-20) defeat of Scranton.
Perhaps making the weekend more rewarding was how the Falcons did it — or who they did it without. Sophomore and leading hitter Lauren Rees was idle after reinjuring a pulled muscle against Salisbury, while a nagging injury kept junior outside hitter Cassy Diamond on the bench for all four matches.
Despite the roster shortcomings, Messiah (3-2) put together a string of quality volleyball, picking up the team's first three wins of the year in succession.
“I was very pleased with this weekend overall,” said Judi Tobias, Messiah head coach. “This was a very good tournament to be a part of, and our play should serve as a confidence booster.”
The only downer of the entire two-day tournament came in the opener against Salisbury (2-0), where the Falcons put up 10 service errors and failed to hit over the .100 plateau in two of the three sets. Sophomore Lindsay King finished with seven kills and Rees had six, struggling through the finish line before being a DNP-Coach's Decision for the remainder of the weekend.
The tide of the entire tournament may have shifted in Friday's late match against Washington (0-2), however, as Messiah utilized some clutch play to eke out with the 3-1 win over the Shorewomen.
Following a dominating, 25-17 first set win, Tobias' club found themselves down 23-24 in the second, and on the verge of a 1-1 tie.
But three straight Messiah points stunned the Washington side, and the Falcons claimed the second set 26-24.
That win proved enormous, as the Shorewomen came back to claim the third stanza by a 25-21 count. Messiah then rebounded from a .029 attack percentage in the third to post 14 kills in the fourth, taking the match behind a 25-19 score.
King again paced the attack with 11 kills on 25 attempts (a .280 hitting clip), while junior Emily Hall and freshman Jordyn Scheib each placed eight kills. Sophomore Ann Reck had six, and classmate Megan Myers five.
“We're decent on the outside, and we're deep,” Tobias said of her exterior hitters. “This entire weekend was a great opportunity for Megan (Myers) and Annie (Reck). I thought they both played really good volleyball.”
Reck got quite the workout Saturday, playing in every single point against both Lincoln and Scranton. “We just didn't talk to her about being tired,” Tobias said. Myers had seven kills in both of Saturday's matches, while Reck paced the squad — along with Scheib and King — with nine kills against Scranton (3-2).
“Annie offers a different look on the ball, and does a lot of different things on attack,” Tobias said. “She has a lot of different tools, and she's tough to block. Megan, she's just so mentally tough. She's even. She doesn't get really excited, or too down. She stabilizes us on the court.”
Following a crushing of Lincoln (0-5), Messiah got a firm test from Scranton, a team the Falcons are slated to face twice more this season. Freshman setter Jessica Geib had a weekend-high 38 assists in the win, while senior Megan Wise was phenomenal in the back row, finishing with 28 digs.
Tobias' club roared out to a 2-0 lead behind extremely efficient hitting, posting a .242 mark in the first set and a .333 clip in the second. Scheib was especially efficient, posting her nine kills in just 19 attempts — with no errors — hitting at a ridiculous .474 average.
“Scranton is solid, but very young,” Tobias said. “They make us work for every single point. We're anxious to see them again, and see how they prepare and approach us. They're solid, and will be a good test for us again.”
Geib was named to the Battlefield Classic All-Tournament Team at the event's conclusion, averaging 29.5 assists and 6.25 digs per match. She also served up 11 aces over the weekend.
Messiah will next look to keep its winning streak going at home, as the squad will host Dickinson College Tuesday night. Match time is set for 7 p.m. in Brubaker Auditorium.
