LANCASTER, Pa. – The Stevenson University women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to teams appearing in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll on day one of the Franklin & Marshall Scramble Friday.  The Mustangs took No. 14 Carnegie Mellon to a fifth set before falling 3-2, then dropped a 3-1 decision to Ithaca, a team receiving votes in this week's poll.

Against the Tartans (9-2), Stevenson (9-4) held a 2-1 lead before falling 21-25, 25-18, 25-27, 25-13, 15-9.  Junior Annika Schwartz posted a match-high 25 kils, with classmate Lauren Weaver recording nine and sophomore Moriah Savage finishing with eight.  Schwartz also had 14 digs.  Senior Kristen Brooks had 24 digs, with junior Deanna Bradbury totaling 22.  Freshman Julie Nightwine notched 28 assists and 13 digs, while senior Sara Bollinger added 16 helpers and 17 digs.

Ithaca (9-2) posted a 25-23, 17-25, 29-19, 25-14 win in the nightcap.  Schwartz totaled 10 kills, with Bradbury recording 20 digs defensively.  Bollinger narrowly missed a double-double with 14 assists and nine digs, while freshman Emily Castro handed out 10 assists.  The Mustangs hit just .096 as a team, their second-lowest hitting percentage of the season, and were also hampered by 14 service errors.

Stevenson faces Salisbury and Ohio Northern on Saturday in day two of the F&M Scramble.