GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's volleyball team claimed a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-13) straight set sweep of Lebanon Valley College on senior night in Hitchcock Arena. The four seniors recognized for the Falcons were Mary Underman, Heston Cowoski, Jessica Zellers, and Lanae Hunsberger. Messiah student managers Alexis Shughart and Caleb Weaver were also recognized. Underman and Kate Preudhomme recorded ten kills in the win for Messiah, as they move to 23-6 overall and end their MAC Commonwealth season at 6-2.

This win clinches the No. 3 seed for the Falcons in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth tournament, as they will travel to Arcadia University on Wednesday, Nov. 6 for their semifinal matchup at 7:00 p.m. Messiah will end their regular season on Saturday afternoon at a tri-match hosted by Lancaster Bible College. They take on Penn State Harrisburg at 1:00 p.m. before battling Lancaster Bible at 3:00 p.m.

Early Excitement In Hitchcock
The two teams traded runs early on in the game, with the Falcons gaining a 6-4 advantage after an Underman kill. Messiah continued to hold off the Dutchmen before a few errors helped Lebanon Valley produce a 4-0 stretch to give them a 10-9 lead. The Dutchmen held a 13-11 lead in the set before the Falcons made their push.

Two Underman kills along with two Dutchmen errors captained a 4-0 run to give the lead back to Messiah at 15-13. The Falcons extended their lead to four after a few Dutchmen mistakes made it 20-16. Messiah used kills by Kate Preudhomme and Natalie Marsch along with an error to give them a 23-18 lead. Lebanon Valley fought back with three consecutive points to cut it to 23-21. The teams traded points to make it 24-22 before an Underman kill gave Messiah a 25-22 game one win.

Lightning Strikes
After Lebanon Valley took an early 5-3 lead in set two, the Falcons struck back with a huge 12-3 run to make it 15-8. While Messiah was cruising, the power shut off in Hitchcock Arena, but it didn't shake the Falcons momentum. Lebanon Valley got to within five at 18-13, but Messiah wasn't going to let their lead slip away.

They used a 4-1 flurry that was spearheaded by a pair of Payton Manwaring kills while Rachel Garratt chipped in one kill as well. This made the score 22-14 in favor of Messiah. The Dutchmen tried to fight back, cutting it to 23-18, but the Falcons offense was too much to handle. A pair of Kate Preudhomme kills gave the Falcons a 25-18 set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Final Blow
Messiah stormed out to a 17-5 lead in set three. Lebanon Valley didn't help themselves out during this stretch, making several errors. Messiah extended their lead to 22-8 with the help of three straight Preudhomme kills. Lebanon Valley made a late 5-2 push to make the score 24-13, but that was as close as they got in this one. A Manwaring kill ended the Dutchmen's night as the 25-13 win gave Messiah a 3-0 match win, and the No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth tournament.

Senior Night
As mentioned, six total seniors were recognized tonight for Messiah. Those Falcons being Jessica Zellers, Mary Underman, Heston Cowoski, and Lanae Hunsberger. Student managers Alexis Shughart and Caleb Weaver were also recognized. Thus far, the seniors have amassed a 78-47 overall record in their time as Falcons.

What's Up Next
After the win, Messiah moves to 23-6 overall and 6-2 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons end the regular season with a tri-match Saturday afternoon at Lancaster Bible College. They take on Penn State Harrisburg at 1:00 p.m. and Lancaster Bible at 3:00 p.m.