Messiah University

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The Messiah Women's Volleyball season came to end on Thursday night in the MAC Commonwealth semifinals, where the Falcons fell to the Mustangs of Stevenson University in three sets (20-25, 18-25, 17-25). The Falcons found themselves in a hole early in the first two sets which they couldn't overcome, dropping both sets. In the third, the Falcons fell into another big hole but fought back to take the lead halfway through the set. However, a few big runs from the Mustangs pushed them over the line, taking the set and the match. Makenzie Adams had 13 kills and 12 digs for the Falcons. Erin Eby added 12 digs, while Leah Youtzy had seven kills.
 
Set One
Leah Youtzy picked up two early kills for the Falcons, but the offenses both struggled with attacking errors as the Mustangs led 10-6. Makenzie Adams added a couple of kills and Sydney Wolfe tacked on another, but the Mustangs extended their lead to seven, up 16-9. Mallory Garland and Kayla Batty each added a kill, but Stevenson kept rolling, leading 19-11. However, the Falcons began to chip away, using a five-point run to make it 19-16, forcing a Mustangs timeout. During the run, Makenzie Adams picked up two kills and Leah Youtzy added one. The Mustangs won the first three points after the timeout to rebuild their lead, but Adams added another kill and Youtzy dropped in a service ace to keep Messiah in it, trailing 22-18. Sydney Wolfe added one more kill in the set, but the Mustangs were able to calm the storm, taking the set 25-20.
 
Set Two
The Mustangs jumped out to an 8-2 lead, with Sydney Wolfe and Kayla Batty picking up kills for the Falcons. Leah Youtzy tallied two kills, Makenzie Adams added one, and Mallory Garland dropped in an ace as the Falcons began to get back into the set, trailing 12-8. Adams added another kill and Sydney Wolfe tallied two kills as Messiah looked to stay in the set, down 14-11. However, the Mustangs won eight of the next ten points, leading 22-14. Leah Youtzy, Sydney Wolfe, and Makenzie Adams all added final kills in the set, but the Falcons dropped it, 25-18.
 
Set Three
Stevenson took a 5-1 lead, but two kills from Sydney Wolfe, one from Kayla Batty, and an ace from Erin Eby tied the set, 5-5. Makenzie Adams added two kills, Batty added one more, and Leah Youtzy got in on the action as the Falcons took a 9-7 lead. Adams added two more kills as the teams began trading points to a 12-12 tie. Hannah MacCartney also added a kill, but the Mustangs took over the set, winning 12 of the next 15 points to take a 24-15 lead. The Mustangs then got the final point needed, taking the set 25-17, and the match in three sets.
 
Stats
Makenzie Adams had 13 kills and 12 digs for the Falcons. Erin Eby added 12 digs, while Leah Youtzy had seven kills. Clara Conner added 28 assists and 10 digs.