HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The Stevenson women's volleyball team opened Saturday's action at the Juniata Tri-Match with a pair of hard-fought setbacks, falling to Bridgewater (Va.) in five sets, before dropping a 3–0 decision to host No. 10 Juniata inside Memorial Gymnasium. The Mustangs jumped out to a 2–0 lead against Bridgewater before the Eagles rallied to win 3–2 by scores of 15–25, 25–27, 25–20, 25–20, and 15–12, before Juniata claimed a 3–0 victory by scores of 25–19, 25–16, and 25–19. Stevenson moves to 3–2 overall following Saturday's action.
Vs. Bridgewater (Va.)
Set 1:
Stevenson came out strong, quickly building a 3–1 lead behind kills from
Logan Burge,
Rachel Lenz, and
Autumn Henry. The Mustangs continued to control the early set, using a balanced offensive attack to extend their advantage to 12–7.
Stevenson maintained its momentum behind Lenz and Burge, while
Declyn Tooze added a service ace to push the lead, Lenz delivered consecutive kills later in the frame before Burge and
Maren Zepfel added kills to make it 17–9. The Mustangs closed the set in convincing fashion, taking the opener 25–15.
Set 2:
The Mustangs carried their momentum into the second set, opening with a 3–0 advantage following a Lenz kill, a Tooze service ace, and a Bridgewater attack error. Stevenson continued to hold the edge, with Burge, Lenz, and
Sydney Salazarproviding key kills throughout the frame.
Bridgewater battled back and eventually tied the set at 8–8, but Stevenson responded with a run of its own. Lenz and Burge helped the Mustangs build a 16–10 lead before the Eagles mounted a late comeback.
Bridgewater pulled even at 21–21 and eventually took a 22–21 advantage, but Stevenson answered with kills from Salazar and Tooze to reach set point at 24–22. After the Eagles fought off multiple set points, Stevenson regrouped. Burge delivered back-to-back kills from Tooze to finish the set 27–25 and give the Mustangs a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3:
Bridgewater responded in the third set, taking an early 7–4 lead before Stevenson rallied to even the frame at 7–7. Salazar and Lenz helped keep the Mustangs within striking distance as the teams traded points through the middle of the set.
Stevenson tied the set at 12–12 following a Lenz service ace and continued to battle, with kills from Zepfel and Salazar helping keep the deficit manageable. Bridgewater, however, used a late run to pull ahead 20–15 and continued to build its advantage.
The Mustangs fought to close the gap, with Salazar, Zepfel, Tooze, and Burge contributing offensively, but the Eagles held on to take the third set 25–20 and cut Stevenson's match lead to 2–1.
Set 4:
The fourth set remained close early, with Stevenson and Bridgewater trading points through a 6–6 tie. Zepfel and Henry provided kills for the Mustangs, while
Lillianna Hornickle and Henry combined for a block to help Stevenson stay within reach.
Bridgewater eventually created separation, moving ahead 15–10 before the Mustangs answered with kills from Burge, Zepfel, and Salazar. Stevenson continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 17–14 and later 22–17.
The Eagles, however, maintained control down the stretch and secured the fourth set, 25–20, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Set 5:
The deciding set saw Bridgewater take an early 4–2 lead before extending its advantage to 8–3. Stevenson responded with kills from Lenz and Salazar, along with a Hornickle-Salazar block, to cut the deficit to 9–5.
The Mustangs continued to fight, using a Lenz kill, a Salazar kill, and a Lenz service ace to pull even at 9–9. Stevenson tied the set again at 10–10 following another Salazar kill, but Bridgewater answered with a three-point run to take a 13–10 lead.
Salazar and Tooze helped Stevenson close within one at 13–12, but the Eagles scored the final two points to take the fifth set 15–12 and complete the comeback victory, 3–2.
Lenz and Salazar led the Stevenson attack with 13 and 14 kills, respectively, while Burge added nine kills and Zepfel finished with eight. Tooze recorded 23 assists, three service aces, and 12 digs, while Lenz added 18 digs. As a team, Stevenson recorded 51 kills, 47 assists, 69 digs, and seven aces.
Vs. No. 10 Juniata
Set 1:
Stevenson came out strong to open the match, taking an early 1–0 lead behind a service ace from Tooze. The Mustangs continued to battle early, with Burge and Lenz recording kills to keep Stevenson within striking distance.
Lenz and Salazar helped provide offensive production throughout the opening frame, while Stevenson used a pair of blocks from Salazar and Hornickle to create momentum late in the set. The Mustangs battled back from a 24–16 deficit with three straight points, including two Juniata attack errors, before the Eagles closed out the set, 25–19.
Set 2:
Juniata grabbed an early advantage in the second set, but Stevenson continued to fight behind kills from Lenz, Salazar, Zepfel and
Emma Shaffer.
Courtney Foose helped distribute the attack, recording 10 assists across two sets, while Stevenson used several runs to stay within reach.
The Mustangs trimmed the deficit to 13–18 following three consecutive points, including a kill from Lenz and back-to-back Juniata errors. Stevenson continued to battle late, with Zepfel and
Isabella Terra recording kills, but Juniata pulled away to take the second set 25–16 and take a 2–0 match lead.
Set 3:
Stevenson opened the third set with an ace from Foose before Juniata responded with an 8–1 run. The Mustangs answered with a four-point stretch, highlighted by consecutive Lenz kills, to cut the deficit to 8–5.
Stevenson continued to chip away throughout the set, with Lenz, Salazar and Hornickle providing kills and a Salazar-Hornickle block adding another point at the net. The Mustangs pulled within four at 17–21 following a kill from Salazar, but Juniata answered with four of the next five points to reach match point. Shaffer recorded a kill from Foose to extend the set, but Juniata closed out the match with a 25–19 third-set victory.
Lenz led the Mustangs with 11 kills, while Salazar added seven kills and three blocks. Foose finished with 10 assists, and Shaffer contributed four kills and six digs. Stevenson finished with 27 kills and six total blocks as a team.
Stevenson returns home on Tuesday, September 15, opening MAC Commonwealth play against Alvernia at 7 p.m. inside Owings Mills Gymnasium.
