ASTON, Pa. – The Messiah women's volleyball team opened up the Neumann Invitational with a 3-0 sweep over host Neumann Knights. The Falcons earned a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-15) win to improve to 6-1 on the young season. Leading the way for the Falcons would be Chayney Barnhart with 10 kills, followed by Sarah Hart with nine, and McKenzie Feight with seven. Emma Swartz and Casidy Dell shared the setting duties, finishing the evening with 19 and 17 assists, respectively.

The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday against Stockton University and Ursinus College. First serve is set for 12:00 p.m. against Stockton.

How It Happened
Messiah jumped out to a quick 7-3 lead in the opening set getting points from Mackenzie Feight, Chayney Barnhart, and Sarah Hart. However, the Knights would claw back into the fold scoring six out of the next 10 points to make it a 10-8 game. Both teams continued to battle with neither side giving ground. Messiah continued to apply pressure, getting contributions from Anna Weldon, Emma Swartz, Feight, and Barnhart. The Falcons would extend their lead to 19-15, needing just six points to clinch the first set. The Knights would go on a three-point run but the Falcons did not let up, scoring six out of the last seven to take the set 25-17 and a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Knights would respond well to open set two, but the Falcons did not give in. Both teams trading points with Messiah grabbing an 11-10 lead. The Falcons continued to get points with Katie Quesenberry leading the way with four. Feight, Weldon, and Hart, also continuing to add points to the board. With both teams scoring, neither would surrender a lead larger than two. The Falcons and the Knights find themselves tied at 19-19. But the Falcons would prevail scoring four of the final six points to take the set 25-21 and a 2-0 match lead.

Leading 2-0 entering the third set, the Falcons did not let up getting out to a quick 10-3 lead. With the help of multiple Knight errors and kills from Feight, Hart, and Swartz the Falcons would find themselves in a strong position. From that point on, Messiah would dominate the remainder of the match. The Falcons extend their lead to double digits at 22-12. The Falcons would need just three more points to complete the sweep. The Knights did not go away, chipping at the Messiah lead. However, it would not be enough as the Falcons complete the 3-0 sweep, 25-17, 25-21, and 25-15. 

Whats Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday against Stockton University at 12:00 p.m and Ursinus College at 2:00 p.m.