READING, Pa. – The Messiah women's volleyball team defeated Alvernia University on the road, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21), on Wednesday night to improve its record to 10-6 (3-1 MAC Commonwealth). Plenty of Falcons recorded individual match-high marks with Mackenzie Feight recording 13 kills, Kristen Seibert tallying 33 assists, and Amanda Dahlman contributing 22 digs.
 
Feight leads the MAC Commonwealth in kills, increasing her season total to 215. Joining Feight with a strong offensive performance was Chayney Barnhart, who recorded a career-high 11 kills in the victory.
 
Entering the road conference matchup, the Falcons were looking to improve their MAC Commonwealth record to 3-1 while winning their third consecutive match. With three different Falcons recording kills in the first few points of the opening set, Messiah jumped out to a 3-2 edge. Rachel Rashford, Chayney Barnhart, and Feight all contributed successful swings for the team's first three points. A 4-0 scoring followed, highlighted by consecutive kills from Barnhart, increasing the Falcons' advantage to 8-3. For the remainder of the set, Messiah did not relinquish its lead, as Barnhart and Feight took over. The duo each tallied six kills in the set, tied for the set-high. Despite the Golden Wolves scoring four out of the last six points of the set, Messiah prevailed, claiming the set by a score of 25-21.
 
Barnhart, through just one set of play, had already matched her career-high in kills.
 
Seibert, who dished out 10 assists in the opening set, recorded a service ace early in the second set, giving the Falcons a quick 2-0 lead. Tatum Oakley contributed a kill to make the score 3-1 in favor of Messiah before a 6-4 scoring run gave Alvernia its first lead of the match, an 8-7 edge. The two sides traded points, being knotted up at 13-13 before the Falcons created separation with three-straight points, prompting a Golden Wolves timeout. The consecutive points were a part of a 5-1 scoring run that gave Messiah a 19-15 lead, as three different Falcons contributed kills in the scoring spurt. After an Alvernia timeout, the Golden Wolves scored a point to cut the deficit to three (19-16), but six-consecutive points clinched the set for the Falcons, 25-16. Feight notched two kills during the scoring run, upping her match total to a team-high 11.
 
Messiah led the match, 2-0, entering the third set. The Falcons took advantage of a couple early attacking errors from Alvernia, jumping ahead, 5-3. The lead increased to 8-5 as Caitlin Lielbriedis contributed three kills during the Falcons' first eight points of the set. The Golden Wolves had an answer, taking a 14-11 lead on a 6-0 scoring the run. Messiah, just a set victory away from clinching the road conference match, was not backing down without a fight. The Falcons rattled off eight-consecutive points to retake the lead, 19-14, fueled by two service aces and a kill from Feight. Messiah went on to earn the set victory, 25-21, winning the match, 3-0.
 
Amanda Dahlman had a phenomenal defensive game. The senior libero recorded a game-high 22 digs, as Seibert dished out a game-high 33 assists. seibert has recorded double-digit assists in 14 of 15 matches played this, leading the MAC Commonwealth with 495 in total assists.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah returns home to Hitchcock Arena on Friday night to take on Lancaster Bible College at 7:00 p.m.