LANCASTER, Pa. – The Arcadia University women's volleyball team went 2-0 at a tri-match in Lancaster Saturday, sweeping Notre Dame of Maryland University, 3-0, by scores of 25-23, 25-10 and 25-11 before battling past host Lancaster Bible College, 3-2, by scores of 22-25, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24 and 15-9.
Against the Gators, the Knights (13-4, 1-1 MAC Freedom) hit .253 as a team while holding Notre Dame of Maryland to a -.082 hitting percentage, dominating across the stat sheet. Raegan Oursler led the offense with 10 kills, Avery Bell recorded six aces, Anna Keer and Kam Wertz each had four blocks, Bryana Saenz totaled 18 assists and Bell finished with 17 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME ONE: Arcadia 3 – Notre Dame of Maryland 0
SET ONE: Arcadia 25 – Notre Dame of Maryland 23
· After Morgan Orsulak recorded the first kill for the Knights, the Gators went on a 4-0 run before three straight kills from Oursler capped a 4-0 Arcadia run to regain the lead, 5-4.
· Back-to-back kills from Julia Archelle started a 2-0 run before a kill from Keer sparked another 2-0 run to push the lead to 10-8.
· A kill from Wertz and a block from Wertz and Devon Young traded points with the Gators before another kill from Wertz started a 4-0 run. Oursler and Keer teamed up for a block during the run, while Kailyn Riggi added an ace to make it 16-11 Knights.
· The Gators battled back to tie the set at 18-18, but kills from Young and Oursler, along with a block from Young and Wertz, helped the Knights regain control before Keer and Archelle teamed up for the final block to give Arcadia the opening-set victory.
SET TWO: Arcadia 25 – Notre Dame of Maryland 10
· Young, Orsulak and Oursler each picked up early kills in the second set. A block from Orsulak and Wertz pushed the lead to 7-2.
· The Knights increased their lead with a 4-0 run that took advantage of Gators' errors and included a block from Keer and Oursler.
· With the Knights leading 13-8, a 4-0 run featuring kills from Oursler and Young and two aces from Bell extended the advantage to 17-8.
· The Knights put the set out of reach, closing on an 8-1 run that included two kills from Young and kills from Orsulak and Wertz.
SET THREE: Arcadia 25 – Notre Dame of Maryland 11
· Notre Dame of Maryland jumped out to a 3-0 lead before back-to-back kills from Young and Oursler. Orsulak and Oursler followed with consecutive kills to tie the set at 4-4.
· A block from Orsulak and Keer, followed by kills from Archelle and Oursler, tied the set again at 7-7.
· The Knights pulled away from an 8-7 deficit with a 9-0 run fueled by four aces from Bell, kills from Kaitlyn Small, Keer, Archelle and Young, and a block from Young and Wertz.
· Young added two more kills before Wertz recorded the final kill as the Knights closed out the third set, 25-11, to complete the sweep.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Kills: Oursler (10), Young (9), Archelle (4)
Aces: Bell (6), Riggi (1), Saenz (1)
Blocks: Keer (4), Wertz (4), Young (3)
Assists: Saenz (18), Small (13), Riggi (1)
Digs: Bell (17), Oursler (12), Alliy Kulas (8)
In the nightcap, the Knights were pushed to five sets by the host Chargers before ultimately earning the victory. Arcadia hit .161 for the match while Lancaster Bible hit .122. Oursler led the Knights with 19 kills, Small recorded five aces, Keer had three blocks, Saenz totaled 35 assists and Bell finished with 36 digs.
GAME TWO: Arcadia 3 – Lancaster Bible 2
SET ONE: Arcadia 22 – Lancaster Bible 25
· The Knights came out swinging in the opening set, earning their first six points on kills. Oursler recorded three, while Young, Chana Rothschild and Orsulak each added one. Small's ace started a 3-0 run, capped by another kill from Oursler, to extend the lead to 9-3.
· A solo block from Keer, a kill from Young and two kills from Rothschild pushed the lead to 15-11 before a 3-0 Lancaster Bible run cut the deficit to one.
· With the set tied at 17-17, the teams traded points as the Knights got kills from Small, Rothschild and Young. With Arcadia leading 20-18, Lancaster Bible answered with a 3-0 run to regain the lead.
· Young and Oursler recorded the final two kills for the Knights, but the Chargers closed the set on a 3-0 run to win, 25-22.
SET TWO: Arcadia 25 – Lancaster Bible 20
· The Knights again came out strong, with kills from Young, Orsulak and Oursler giving Arcadia an early 4-2 lead.
· A kill from Keer started a 2-0 run that included an ace from Oursler to push the lead to 7-3. Archelle then added a kill to start another 2-0 run.
· Lancaster Bible fought back to regain the lead before a kill from Young ended the Chargers' run. Kills from Oursler, Archelle, Young and Rothschild, along with an ace from Kulas, made it 21-17 Knights. Oursler added two more kills before Small served an ace to make it 24-19.
· Keer slammed down the final kill of the set to even the match at 1-1.
SET THREE: Lancaster Bible 25 – Arcadia 21
· Looking to take the lead in the match, the Knights got back-to-back kills from Orsulak and Oursler before an ace from Small made it a one-point set at 6-5.
· A block from Keer and Archelle started a 2-0 run that included an ace from Saenz to tie the set at 7-7.
· Down 11-8, the Knights used a 5-0 run featuring two kills from Young and two from Rothschild to take a 13-11 lead. Lancaster Bible quickly answered with a 5-1 run to regain the advantage.
· Another kill from Oursler started a 3-0 run capped by an ace from Small. Despite several Lancaster Bible errors, the Chargers closed out the set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
SET FOUR: Arcadia 26 – Lancaster Bible 24
· Young and Keer recorded early kills to tie the set at 3-3. The Chargers then jumped out to an 8-3 lead before a kill from Oursler ended the run.
· The Knights answered with a 6-1 run featuring kills from Young and Keer, a block from Keer and Katie Grimm, and an ace from Bell to tie the set at 10-10.
· Young picked up back-to-back kills before Oursler ended a 3-0 Lancaster Bible run with a kill to make it 16-15 Arcadia. The teams continued to trade points, with the Knights getting kills from Orsulak, Oursler and Keer to take a 20-18 lead.
· The Knights closed out the set with kills from Rothschild, Orsulak and Bell to force a deciding fifth set.
SET FIVE: Arcadia 15 – Lancaster Bible 9
· Oursler's kill tied the deciding set at 1-1 before an ace from Small and another kill from Oursler gave the Knights a 5-2 lead.
· Back-to-back kills from Keer, coupled with Lancaster Bible errors, extended the lead to 10-5.
· A 3-0 run featuring a kill from Rothschild, a kill from Orsulak and a block from Rothschild and Orsulak made it 13-6. Orsulak then recorded a kill to bring the Knights to match point before Oursler slammed down the final kill to secure the five-set victory.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Kills: Oursler (19), Rothschild (11), Young (10)
Aces: Small (5), Oursler (2), Saenz (1)
Blocks: Keer (3), Rothschild (1), Archelle (1)
Assists: Saenz (35), Small (15), Bell (4)
Digs: Bell (36), Kulas (20), Oursler (16)
UP NEXT
The Knights return home Wednesday and resume MAC Freedom play when Stevens comes to Glenside for a 6 p.m. match.
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