ELIZABETHTOWN, PA. – On Tuesday afternoon, the Messiah women's volleyball team defeated the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-23). The Falcons were led by Sarah Hart with 11 kills, while Emma Swartz and Cassidy Dell tallied 19 assists each in the win.
 
Up Next: The Falcons will travel to Dickinson College for a match against the Red Devils, Wednesday September 18^th, at 7:00p.m.
 
Set One:
To begin the opening set both squads traded points, until the Falcons began to pull away. Following a Sarah Hart kill to make it 6-4, Messiah gained traction offensively and started to score at will. Julia Bowen, Makenzie Adams, and Caitlin Lielbriedis all got in on the action, as the Falcons opened a 13-5 lead. From that moment on, Messiah had complete control of the set, continuing to pull away from the Blue Jays. Following points by Cassidy Dell and Katie Quesenberry, the Falcons had gained an 11-point lead with the score siting at 20-9. Messiah would then close out the match, taking set one 25-14.
 
Set Two:
The Blue Jays were determined to win a set back from the Falcons. Despite points from Chayney Barnhart, Hart, and Dell, the Blue Jays knotted up the score at 10-10. The Falcons managed to keep it competitive over the next couple of points, taking advantage of some Blue Jay errors. However, Elizabethtown picked up steam extending their lead to 18-12. The Falcons doing everything they can to mount the comeback, started to find a rhythm. Following points from Makenzie Adams, and a couple of Blue Jay errors, Messiah found themselves down 20-17 late in the set, causing an Elizabethtown timeout. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, it did not stall the momentum, as the Falcons scored the next three points, tying the set up at 20-20. Messiah capitalized off multiple Blue Jay mistakes, while Adams led the way as the Falcons finished strong, taking set two 26-24.
 
Set Three:
Messiah got out to a fast start to begin set three, taking an early 4-1 lead. Following a couple of point exchanges, the Falcons found themselves only up 10-9. Emma Swartz, Quesenberry, and Dell picked up the scoring for Messiah as they extended their lead to 14-10. However, the Blue Jays were not going away quietly, tying the set up at 15-15. From that point on it was a footrace to the end, as both teams traded leads heading into the final stretch tied 20-20. Continuing to go back and forth, tied once again at 23-23. Falcons Quesenberry and Adams closed out the set to give Messiah the 3-0 match victory.
 
What's Up Next:
The Falcons will travel to Dickinson College to take on the Red Devils. The Match is set for Wednesday, Sept. 18th at 7:00p.m.