Grantham, PA - The Falcons of Messiah College edged the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College 3-2 (27-25, 25-27, 17-25, 28-26, 15-9) in a pivotal MAC Commonwealth matchup. The match was extremely competitive with three of five set being decided by two points. Messiah improved to 23-2 overall and 6-1 in the MAC Commonwealth, good for second in the conference.

The Falcons set the tone in the match by taking the first set 27-25 over the Dutchmen. Messiah edged LVC in kills (20-12), attack percentage (.308-.270), but committed more errors (4-2).
 
Both teams exchanged scores and LVC held a 10-8 lead. The Falcons responded and scored eight unanswered points to regain a 16-10 advantage. The scoring streak was strung together by three kills from Kristen Douglas, a kill by Jane Underman, a kill from Taylor Hook, two service aces by Emily Zellers, and an attack error committed by the Dutchmen.
 
The Dutchmen battled back and took a 25-24 lead over the Falcons. With the set on the line, Messiah rose to the occasion and scored the final three points of the set for the victory. The final three points were scored from two kills by Jane Underman and a kill by Taylor Hook.
 
The second set was decided by the exact same score as the first (27-25), but this time the Dutchmen prevailed as victors. LVC topped Messiah in kills (17-16) and committed fewer errors (3-4).
 
Both teams were notched at 25-25 when the Dutchmen tallied the final two points of the set off a kill from Emily Sides and another kill by Greta Weidemoyer.
 
The most lopsided set of night was the third that witnessed LVC take a 25-17 victory. The Dutchmen edged the Falcons in kills (18-12), attack percentage (.457-.162), and committed fewer errors (2-6).
 
LVC used a pair of three point scoring streaks to separate themselves from Messiah throughout the third set of play. Leading 23-17, the Dutchmen received a kill by Greta Weidemoyer and an attack error by the Falcons for the 27-17 third set victory.
 
Trailing two sets to one, the Falcons won a crucial fourth set 28-26 in thrilling fashion. Messiah topped LVC in kills (16-13), attack percentage (.170-.159), but committed one more error than the Dutchmen (7-6).
 
A pivotal moment in the match was when the Falcons trailed 22-18 and rallied for five unanswered points to take 23-22 lead. The scoring streak was formed from two kills by Jane Underman, a kill from Kristen Douglas, and two attack errors committed by LVC.
 
Both teams exchanged score and notched the score at 26-26. With the score tied, Messiah scored two clutch points from a kill by Kristen Douglas and an attack error committed by the Dutchmen.
 
The fifth and final set of the match had the Falcons take a 15-9 victory. The Falcons edged the Dutchmen in kills (10-5), attack percentage (.348-.040), and committed fewer errors (2-4).
 
LVC got off to a hot start and took a 7-2 advantage over Messiah. Trailing by five points, the Falcons rallied for nine unanswered points, their largest scoring streak of the night, and took an 11-7 lead. The scoring streak was created by three kills from Kristen Douglas, a kill from Lauren Ciccotello, a kill by Taylor Hook, a service ace from Danielle Weaver, and three attack errors committed by the Dutchmen.
 
Messiah held a 12-9 lead when they tallied the final three points of the match with a kill from Taylor Hook, a kill by Alyssa Vorbeck, and an attack error committed by the Dutchmen.
 
The dynamic duo of Kristen Douglas and Jane Underman led the Falcons offensively with a combined 39 kills. In addition, Brooke Gallagher dished out an astounding 61 kills during the match. Defensively, Messiah had excellent performances from Jane Underman (18 digs) and Danielle Weaver (15 digs).
 
The Falcons will be back in action when they travel to St. Mary's City, MD for a tri-match against Wesley College and St. Mary's College of Maryland starting at 3:00 p.m.