GRANTHAM, Pa. – With a 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-12) sweep of the Hood Blazers the Messiah women's volleyball team improved to 2-0 in the MAC Commonwealth and stayed perfect with an 8-0 overall record in 2022. Messiah and Hood opened all three sets relatively tight before the Falcons turned on the jets and blew past the Blazers en route to their fourth sweep of the season.
 
The Falcons were led by a double-double from Mackenzie Feight with 11 kills and 15 digs. Chayney Barnhart was stellar in the middle with 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage on the evening.
 
Emma Swartz filled out the box score by dishing out 26 assists, while collecting five aces, six digs, and four kills in the victory.
 
Messiah will be back in action on Thursday night when they take on the Rosemont Ravens on the road at 7:00 p.m.
 
Sets Open Close, Falcons Close Strong
Messiah and Hood were in a tight battle at the beginning of the opening set. It was the Blazers on the front foot early, holding a 10-8 lead after a Jackie Malitzki kill. Meissah hung tough and ripped off a 12-1 run to take a commanding 20-11 lead. The run was highlighted by service aces from Mackenzie Feight and Emma Swartz, two kills from Feight, and a pair of blocks. After the Blazers won the next two points, Messiah claimed four-straight with Chayney Barnhart picking up back-to-back kills to give the Falcons a 24-13 lead. Hood won three-straight before Barnhart put down the set winning point at 25-16.
 
The second set started much like the first, with Messiah and Hood level through the opening stretch. After 14 points, the Falcons and Blazers stood even at 7-7. A service error from the Blazers started an 18-6 run for the Falcons that would give them the set at 25-13. In the set, Messiah hit .500 as a team with 15 kills without an error. The Falcons also picked up five service aces as they built a 2-0 lead.
 
In the third, Messiah and Hood once again started the set relatively even. The score once again stood even at 7-7 until the Falcons pulled away with a dominating run. In the third set it was an even bigger run, with Messiah winning 18 of the final 23 points to clinch the set 25-12 and the match, 3-0. In total the Falcons hit .423 in the set with 13 kills and just two errors.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons have another midweek match coming up on Thursday evening when they travel to Rosemont to take on the Ravens at 7:00 p.m. in a non-conference tilt. The Falcons will return home for a tri-match against Franklin & Marshall and Houghton on Saturday with matches at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.