WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Messiah women's volleyball defeated Widener University 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17) on the road this evening.
Kate Preudhomme led the team with 10 kills, while
Braedyn Gallagher, and
Lanae Hunsberger added nine.
Jennifer Rusling dished out 36 assists, had 13 digs on defense, and
Amanda Dahlman recorded 12 digs. The Falcons out hit the Pride (43-27), had more blocks (12-8), and recorded more digs (58-40) to help them earn the sweep.
The win improves Messiah to 9-12 overall and 4-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. They are back in action this weekend when they travel to Alfred, NY for a weekend tournament. They will play four matches beginning on Friday night against Houghton College at 5:00 p.m.
Hot Start
Messiah got off to a strong start in the first set tallying more kills (17-11) and finishing with a higher attack percentage (.333-.070) than Widener. The Pride, however, kept the game close but a scoring run midway through the set helped the Falcons pull away onward to the 25-21 win.
With the score 9-7, Messiah scored five points in a row to extend their lead 14-7.
Lanae Hunsberger contributed two kills and
Payton Manwaring added a block in the scoring run. The Falcons maintained a comfortable lead for the remainder of the set and although the Pride pulled within two at one point 23-21, a kill from
Braedyn Gallagher and block assist with
Mary Underman finished off set one.
Evenly Matched In Set Two
The Falcons kept the offense alive in the second set finishing with double the kills (15-7) and a .257 attack percentage. The Pride did jump to an early 3-0 lead but it didn't take long for the Falcons to respond and quiet the scoring run. This set was very evenly played and neither team was able to really pull away, at most go ahead by two points until the Falcons broke through late. With the score 22-20 in favor of Messiah, three-straight points off an ace by
Jennifer Rusling, and kills from
Payton Manwaring, and
Kate Preudhomme capped a close game 25-20.
Late Run Away
Both teams struggled on offense in the last set but Messiah was able to grind out the 25-17 victory to earn the sweep. Trailing 10-8, a big block by
Payton Manwaring and
Lanae Hunsberger, and kill by the latter tied the game at 10. This set provided a lot of lead changes and ties but a pivotal moment came with the score tied at 16, the Falcons went on a huge scoring run tallying eight-straight points to pull ahead 24-16. That turning point would be the nail in the coffin, and even after the Pride scored a point, a final kill by
Jennifer Rusling finished off set three.
