GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Wednesday afternoon, the Messiah women's volleyball team swept Stevenson University 25-13, 25-20, 25-11 to advance to their first MAC Commonwealth championship since 2016. The Falcons had control of the match, winning all three sets by five or more. In set one, Messiah jumped out to an 11-4 lead and never looked back to win the set 25-13. In set two, the Mustangs kept it tight throughout. Tied at 17-17, it wouldn't be until a late 8-3 run to win the set 25-20. Lastly in set three, the Falcons defense proved to be dominant holding Stevenson to 11 points total.
Makenzie Adams finished with a team high 13 kills, while
Emma Swartz tallied an impressive 19 assists.
Caitlin Lielbriedis capped off the leader board with 20 kills.
Up Next
The Falcons will host No.2 Eastern University Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:00p.m. for a chance to claim the title MAC Commonwealth champions.
How It Happened
Set One
The Falcons were able to create an early cushion, grabbing a 7-2 lead off Caitlin Leilbriedis services. Following a Mustang error and a
Sarah Hart kill, a bad set from Messiah broke up the long run. However, Hart continued to provide the offensive assault as the Falcons extended their lead to 13-6.
Makenzie Adams, and
Julia Bowen would get involved in the offense with Messiah taking a commanding 18-8 lead. The Falcons would close out the set scoring seven of the final 12 to win the set 25-13.
Set Two
Katie Quesenberry and Adams got on the board early however, a couple of Mustang errors allowed the Falcons to hold a 6-3 lead. As the set continued, Messiah held on to a slight advantage leading 15-10 at the midway mark. However, despite kills from
Cassidy Dell and Adams, the Mustangs were able to tie the set up at 17-17. All though the Mustangs offense found some success,
Chayney Barnhart, Hart, and Quesenberry would help the Falcons close out the set on an 8-3 run to win the set 25-20.
Set Three
The third set was pure dominance from the Falcons offensively and defensively. Behind
Emma Swartz serves, Messiah was able to take an early 6-0 lead. The Mustangs were able to work their way back into the set, cutting the deficit to 8-6. However, Quesenberry, Hart, and Dell continued to provide offense extending their lead to 12-6. Following two points from Stevenson, the Falcons would open the set off a 7-2 run thanks to three Barnhart kills grabbing a 20-10 lead. Messiah went on to score five of the final six points, to win the set 25-11 and advance to the MAC Commonwealth championship match.
Stats
Makenzie Adams finished the match with 13 kills and 11 digs.
Emma Swartz added a team high 19 assists and nine digs, while Caitlin Lilebriedis tallied 20 digs.
Sarah Hart added an additional 11 kills and
Cassidy Dell tallied eight kills, 13 assists, and 17 digs.
What's Up Next
The No.1 Falcons will host the No.2 Eastern Eagles in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Saturday, Nov. 16th at 7:00p.m.
