WAYNE, N.J. - The Stevenson women's volleyball team competed in the William Paterson Tri-Match on Saturday afternoon at the Sports and Recreation Center, facing Swarthmore and host William Paterson. The Mustangs fell 3–0 to Swarthmore by set scores of 25–18, 25–18, and 25–20 before dropping a 3–0 decision to William Paterson by scores of 25–17, 25–21, and 25–18.
Vs. William Paterson
Set 1: William Paterson opened the match with a 6–0 run, but Stevenson quickly settled in and began to chip away at the early deficit. The Mustangs received kills from
Rachel Lenz,
Lillianna Hornickle, and
Autumn Henry as they worked to close the gap.
Lenz helped spark the Stevenson offense with four kills in the opening set, while Henry added two kills and a block. The Mustangs continued to battle late, but William Paterson maintained its advantage and took the first set, 25–17.
Set 2: Stevenson came out stronger in the second set, trading points with the Pioneers early. A kill from
Maren Zepfelhelped the Mustangs remain within striking distance as the set progressed.
Stevenson continued to put pressure on William Paterson behind kills from Zepfel and Lenz, while the Mustangs' defense worked to extend rallies. William Paterson eventually pulled away late to take the second set, 25–21, and take a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3: The Mustangs again battled throughout the third set, with Lenz and Zepfel leading the offensive attack. Stevenson stayed within reach as the set progressed, receiving additional contributions from
Sydney Salazar and Hornickle.
Stevenson continued to compete through the final points, but William Paterson closed out the third set, 25–18, to secure the three-set victory.
Lenz led the Mustangs offensively with 10 kills while hitting .364 and added 11.5 points. Zepfel finished with nine kills and a .318 hitting percentage, while Salazar contributed four kills. Hornickle added two kills while hitting .500, and Henry recorded two kills while hitting .500.
Declyn Tooze led Stevenson with 14 assists, while
Courtney Foose added 11 assists. Defensively,
Isabella Terra recorded 12 digs, while
Lilly Eichelberger added 10 digs. Stevenson finished with 27 kills and 46 digs while recording one team block.
Vs. Swarthmore
Set 1: Stevenson fell behind early as Swarthmore opened the match with a 4–0 run. The Mustangs responded with a kill from Salazar and an attack error from Swarthmore to cut the deficit to 8–3.
Stevenson continued to battle, with Lenz recording a service ace before adding back-to-back kills to help the Mustangs pull within six at 15–9. Lenz and Eichelberger continued to provide a spark late, as Stevenson trimmed the deficit to 22–16. Swarthmore ultimately closed the set, 25–18.
Set 2: The Mustangs kept the second set within reach early, trailing 4–3 before Swarthmore built an 8–3 advantage. Stevenson answered with kills from Zepfel and Lenz, while Lenz added a service ace as the Mustangs pulled within one at 10–9.
Stevenson tied the set at 12–12 following a Zepfel kill from Tooze, and the teams remained within striking distance through the middle portion of the set. Swarthmore eventually created separation late and closed the set, 25–18.
Set 3: Stevenson opened the third set with a 1–0 lead following a Lenz kill from Tooze, but Swarthmore responded with a 6–0 run to take a 7–1 advantage.
The Mustangs continued to fight, with kills from Lenz, Zepfel and Salazar helping Stevenson cut into the deficit. Stevenson later pulled within five at 20–15 and continued to battle late, cutting the Swarthmore lead to 24–19 following consecutive attack errors. The Garnet ultimately closed the set, 25–20, to complete the sweep.
Lenz led the Stevenson offense with eight kills while hitting .353, adding two service aces, 12 digs and 11.5 points. Zepfel finished with five kills, while Salazar added three kills. Hornickle contributed two kills and two points, while
Zoya Fazal recorded one kill on two attacks.
Tooze led the Mustangs with seven assists, while Foose added 10 assists. Defensively,Terra recorded nine digs, while Lenz and
Laila Frye each added 11 digs. Stevenson finished with 21 kills, 49 digs and six service aces while recording three total team blocks.
Stevenson returns to MAC Commonwealth action on Wednesday, October 7, when the Mustangs host Messiah at 7 p.m.
