WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's volleyball team (5-3, 1-0) returned to action on Wednesday night for the first time in over a week, squaring off against Millersville (4-6, 0-1) to open PSAC East play in Hollinger Field House. West Chester found itself in yet another tight match, trading blows with its guests for much of the evening before emerging victorious by a 3-2 final after a pair of dominant performances in the fourth and fifth sets.
Millersville captured the first set by a 25-17 final and took the third set by a 25-19 final, while West Chester claimed the second set 25-23, the fourth set 25-14, and the fifth set 15-8 to start East play a perfect 1-0. West Chester hit very well in the fourth and fifth sets, hitting .333 in the fourth and .316 in the fifth to complete the comeback.
Hailey Lewis (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) led the team in kills with 11. At the same time,
Tori Wright (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) and
Abiah Lane (Ardmore, Pa./Lower Merion) registered nine each in the win. The Golden Rams were very effective from the service line tonight, finishing the match with 12 aces, including a match-high from
Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton). Jamie Byrne (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and
Megan St. Jean (Eaton, Co./Eaton) kept the offense moving well throughout the evening, finishing with 22 and 25 assists, respectively. Heffner also led the team in digs, finishing with a team-high 18 to help slow the Marauder attack.
For Millersville, Emma Kerwin and Emma Ludwig led the way offensively as Kerwin finished with a match-high 13 kills, while Ludwig picked up 31 assists in the setback. Kerwin was one of three Marauders to finish with double figures in kills as Sam White and Kalia Espenlaub chipped in 12 kills each in the match, which featured 32 ties and 18 lead changes.
West Chester and Millersville traded points throughout much of the early part of the first set, but Millersville used a 6-0 run to pull ahead to a 15-13 lead, prompting a West Chester timeout. Following the timeout, the Marauders continued their run, pulling ahead to a 20-15 lead late in the set, which prompted the second Golden Ram timeout of the opening set. West Chester continued to battle back, but the visitors eventually earned a 25-17 first-set victory to take an early 1-0 lead.
West Chester started the second set similarly to how it began the first, trading points early before going on a run to take an 11-6 lead over the Marauders, prompting a quick Millersville timeout in an attempt to halt the 6-0 Golden Ram run. West Chester extended its run to 7-0 out of the timeout, but the visiting Marauders answered quickly with an 8-0 run of their own to take a 14-12 lead, nearing the set's midway point. This run led to the first West Chester timeout of the set, which did its job as
Tori Wright (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) got West Chester back on the scoreboard with a quick kill, sparking a 4-0 run that saw the Golden Rams erase the deficit and take a 16-14 lead, nearing the late stages of the second set. The sides continued to trade runs, but West Chester enjoyed the final run of the set, erasing a 22-20 deficit to steal a 25-23 second-set victory, evening the match at 1-1.
In the third set, West Chester and Millersville traded points for much of the set, but the Marauders eventually took a 21-15 late, prompting a quick WCU timeout. The Golden Rams countered with a 4-1 run following the timeout, which cut the deficit to 22-19 and prompted the first Marauder timeout of the set. The timeout did its job as Millersville closed out the third set with a 3-0 run to take a 25-19 third-set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Needing a fourth-set victory to extend the match, West Chester opened the set with an 11-4 run, thanks in part to back-to-back
Sydney Heffner (Bath, Pa./Northampton) aces, prompting a quick Millersville timeout in an attempt to halt the Golden Ram momentum. The timeout appeared as if it may have done its job initially, but West Chester closed out the set impressively, earning a 25-14 fourth-set victory to extend the match.
West Chester and Millersville traded runs in the early going of the fifth set as the Golden Rams pulled ahead by one (9-8) entering the late stages of the final set. The Golden Rams continued their run out of the timeout, extending the lead to 13-8, prompting the second and final Millersville timeout of the evening. The Golden Rams continued their dominant fifth-set performance, eventually closing out a 15-8 victory to complete its come-from-behind match win by a 3-2 final.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon against Pace at 1 p.m. in a non-conference battle against the Setters in Hollinger.
