READING, Pa. – The Stevenson women's volleyball team earned a dominant 3–0 sweep over Albright on Thursday night in MAC Commonwealth action, winning by scores of 25–18, 25–14 and 25–18. The Mustangs improved to 14–11 overall and 6–1 in conference play, powered by 14 service aces and an efficient offensive performance.
Set 1:
Stevenson came out firing to open the match, jumping out to an early 5–0 lead behind three service aces from
Declyn Tooze and a kill from
Rachel Lenz. The Mustangs continued to apply pressure as
Maren Zepfel added a kill, while
Emily McElwaine and
Lillianna Hornickle contributed offensively to help Stevenson build an 11–4 advantage.
Albright responded with a run to cut into the deficit, but the Mustangs maintained control behind kills from
Sydney Salazar and Lenz. Stevenson extended its advantage late in the set as
Emma Shaffer delivered consecutive kills, while Lenz added another point to push the Mustangs to set point.
Allison Gaus closed out the frame with a service ace, securing a 25–18 victory and a 1–0 match lead.
Set 2:
The Mustangs carried their momentum into the second set, using back-to-back service aces from Tooze to help establish an early advantage. Zepfel followed with a kill, and Shaffer added two more kills as Stevenson built a 10–5 lead.
Stevenson continued to find success from the service line, with
Allison Gaus and
Zoe Folk contributing aces as the Mustangs extended their advantage. Salazar added a kill, while Hornickle and Salazar combined to pressure Albright at the net. The Mustangs maintained control throughout the set, with Lenz delivering a kill and two consecutive service aces to close out a 25–14 win and put Stevenson one set away from the sweep.
Set 3:
Stevenson opened the third set with another strong effort, taking an early lead behind a kill from Zepfel and a point from Lenz. Shaffer and Hornickle teamed up for a block, while McElwaine and Salazar contributed offensively to help the Mustangs build a 6–3 advantage.
The Mustangs continued to extend their lead as Lenz recorded consecutive kills, followed by another point from Zepfel. Stevenson maintained its edge through the middle of the set, with Lenz and Hornickle combining for a block to make it 12–5. After Albright attempted to rally, Salazar and Lenz answered with kills to keep the Mustangs in front.
Stevenson remained composed down the stretch, with Lenz adding another kill and the Mustangs capitalizing on Albright's errors. Lenz and McClain contributed late in the set as Stevenson moved closer to match point, and the Mustangs sealed the sweep with a 25–18 victory.
Lenz led Stevenson with 13 kills, three service aces and six digs, while Zepfel added five kills without committing an attack error, hitting .455. Salazar contributed eight kills, and Shaffer finished with six kills while hitting .333. Tooze paced the offense with 17 assists and led the Mustangs with five service aces.
Courtney Foose added 13 assists, while
Isabella Terra recorded six digs. Stevenson finished with 36 kills, hit .253 as a team and recorded 14 service aces.
The Mustangs will return to action on Wednesday, November 4, when they travel to Eastern for a 7 p.m. first serve in MAC Commonwealth action.
