GRANTHAM, Pa. - On a night that saw the Messiah women's volleyball team defeat Alvernia University 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-18), it also saw the fifth Falcon in program history record her 1,000th career kill. Senior Mary Underman picked up two quick kills at the beginning of set one before picking up kill number 1,000th off a Kristen Seibert assist to give Messiah a 9-2 lead in the set. Underman went on to record seven kills in the contest, as the Falcons recorded 42 kills as a team in the match.

Natalie Marsch tied a career high with 13 kills to lead the team. With this victory, Messiah moves to 18-6 on the season and moves to 4-2 in the MAC Commonwealth. They stay home in Grantham on Friday night when they take on the visiting Elizabethtown Blue Jays at 7:00 p.m. in Hitchcock Arena.

Falcons Get Off To Quick Start
Messiah stormed out to a 17-6 lead in set one off the strength of kills from six separate Falcons. They continued to extend their lead en route to a 25-12 set win to give Messiah a 1-0 lead in the match. Messiah hit .542 as a team in the set and recorded fifteen total kills.

In the early going of game two, Messiah held a 10-9 lead before manufacturing an impressive 12-0 run that gave them a 22-9 lead in the set. A trio of Marsch kills paired with three Heston Cowoski aces led Messiah during the run. The Falcons picked up a 25-12 set win after a Logan Wolfe kill to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Falcons Take The Match
Messiah used three kills from Payton Manwaring, Hannah Berger, and Marsch to jump out to a 19-7 lead in game three. The Golden Wolves then rallied back with a 7-1 run to cut the lead to 20-14. Kills from Marsch and Berger helped extend the Falcons lead to 23-14 before Alvernia worked to within six after a 4-1 run made the score 24-18. A Marsch kill gave Messiah a 25-18 set win and a 3-0 victory in the match.

Inside The Box Score
Messiah hit .352 as a team tonight with four Falcons recording five or more kills. Hannah Berger had five kills, Payton Manwaring and Mary Underman had seven, and Natalie Marsch had 13. Heston Cowoski set a career high with five aces in the match with the team recording eight total. All 15 available Falcons helped out in tonight's straight-set victory.

Underman Hits Milestone
Mary Underman recorded her 1,000^th career kill in tonight's match, and currently sits at 1,004 after her seven kill performance. Mary is 539 kills behind her sister Jane's all-time program mark of 1,543 kills.

What's Up Next
After the win, the Falcons move to 18-6 overall on the season and 4-2 in the MAC Commonwealth. They get back in action Friday night when they face-off with Elizabethtown College at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.