BALTIMORE, Md. - The Stevenson women's volleyball team battled throughout two matches on Saturday at the Newton H. White Center, falling 3–0 to Scranton and 3–2 to St. John Fisher in the Hopkins Invitational. The Mustangs stayed competitive throughout the day, battling the Royals in three closely contested sets before pushing the Cardinals to five sets in the afternoon match up.
Vs. Scranton
Set 1: Stevenson and Scranton traded points early before the Royals built a 16–12 advantage. The Mustangs continued to battle, using a 3–0 run behind kills from
Sydney Salazar and
Logan Burge to cut the deficit to 19–17. Stevenson stayed within two at 21–19, but Scranton scored four of the final five points to take the opening set, 25–20.
Set 2: The Mustangs again stayed within reach early, trailing 9–6 before using a 3–0 run to even the set at 9–9. Scranton responded with a 4–0 stretch to regain control and eventually extended its lead to 18–14. Stevenson continued to fight, with kills from Salazar and
Rachel Lenz helping the Mustangs close within 22–19, but the Royals scored the final three points to take the set, 25–19.
Set 3: Scranton opened the third set with a 6–1 run and extended its advantage to 13–7. Stevenson battled back, cutting the deficit to 16–10 and later 21–16 behind kills from Salazar and
Lillianna Hornickle and a service ace from
Courtney Foose. The Mustangs continued to battle late, but Scranton closed out the match with a 25–19 victory.
Salazar led the Mustangs offensively with eight kills while hitting .294, while
Autumn Henry added four kills. Burge and
Maren Zepfel each contributed three kills, while Hornickle added two as Stevenson finished with 21 kills as a team.
Foose led Stevenson with 11 assists, while
Declyn Tooze added nine. Lenz paced the Mustangs defensively with 21 digs, while
Lilly Eichelberger added six. Stevenson finished with 50 digs and six total team blocks.
Vs. St. John Fisher
Set 1:
Stevenson jumped out to an early 8–4 advantage behind kills from
Rachel Lenz and
Logan Burge before St. John Fisher battled back to take a 12–9 lead. The Mustangs responded with a 4–0 run, including kills from
Maren Zepfel and Burge, to regain the lead. Stevenson continued to battle through a tight finish, using kills from Lenz, Burge and
Lillianna Hornickle to take the opening set, 25–21.
Set 2:
St. John Fisher built an early 7–3 advantage and extended its lead to 15–10. Stevenson continued to fight, cutting the deficit to 18–15 behind kills from Zepfel and Burge. The Mustangs pulled within three again at 22–19 following kills from Lenz and
Rachel Lenz, but the Cardinals closed the set with the final three points to even the match at one set apiece, 25–21.
Set 3:
The Cardinals opened the third set with a 5–1 lead, but Stevenson quickly fought its way back into the frame. Trailing 11–9, the Mustangs used a 7–1 run to take a 16–12 advantage, highlighted by a service ace from Lenz and kills from Burge,
Autumn Henry and Zepfel. St. John Fisher battled back to make it 20–20, but Stevenson scored five of the final seven points, including kills from Burge and Lenz, to take the set, 25–22.
Set 4:
St. John Fisher controlled the early portion of the fourth set, building an 11–6 lead. Stevenson battled back, using a 5–0 run featuring kills from Burge and Salazar to pull within 16–14. The Mustangs continued to chip away at the deficit, cutting the Cardinals' lead to 19–17 before eventually closing within 24–22 on a kill from Lenz. St. John Fisher secured the final point to force a fifth set, 25–22.
Set 5:
The Cardinals jumped out to a 5–0 lead in the deciding set. Stevenson answered with a kill from Burge and continued to battle, with Zepfel adding two kills to keep the Mustangs within striking distance. St. John Fisher, however, extended its advantage late to secure the fifth set, 15–5, and the 3–2 match victory.
Burge led the Mustangs offensively with 16 kills while hitting an impressive .536, while Lenz and Zepfel each added seven kills. Burge was also selected to the All-Tournament team. Lenz also recorded three block assists, while Salazar contributed six kills and three block assists. Hornickle finished with five kills and three block assists as Stevenson totaled 46 kills and eight team blocks.
Tooze led the Stevenson offense with 21 assists, while Foose added 14. Eichelberger paced the defensive effort with 30 digs, while Lenz contributed 19 and Terra added 12. The Mustangs finished with 63 digs and six service aces.
Stevenson returns to action on Tuesday, September 29 at 7 p.m., traveling to York (Pa.) for MAC Commonwealth action.
