ASTON, Pa. – The Arcadia University women's volleyball team avenged a 3-2 loss to Neumann last season with a 3-0 road sweep Friday night to open the Knights Invitational, hosted by Neumann University. The Knights improved to 6-0 on the season, the best start in program history, with set victories of 25-20, 25-22 and 25-16. Devon Young and Mia Beckett led the offensive attack with eight kills each, while Kailyn Riggi and Alliy Kulas recorded two aces apiece. Chana Rothschild added two blocks, Kaitlyn Small totaled 17 assists and Riggi led the defensive effort with eight digs. Arcadia controlled the offensive categories throughout the match, finishing with a .352 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Arcadia 3, Neumann 0
SET ONE: Arcadia 25, Neumann 20
· The teams traded points early before Devon Young's kill sparked a 6-2 Arcadia run. Mia Beckett recorded a pair of kills during the run, while Kulas and Anna Keer also added kills to give the Knights a 9-6 lead.
· After Neumann tied the set at 9-9, kills from Kulas and Chana Rothschild, along with blocks from Rothschild and Morgan Orsulak, put Arcadia back in front, 12-10.
· Keer's kill and an ace from Kaitlyn Small bookended a 3-0 run that extended the Knights' lead to 16-12. Neumann answered with a 5-0 run to take a 17-16 advantage.
· The hosts extended their lead to 20-18 with another 3-0 run, but Arcadia closed the set with seven straight points to secure the 25-20 victory.
SET TWO: Arcadia 25, Neumann 22
· Kills from Orsulak and Keer fueled the Arcadia offense early as the teams battled to a 3-3 tie. A solo block from Raegan Oursler cut Neumann's lead to one before kills from Oursler and Beckett evened the set at 8-8.
· Another kill from Oursler and a kill from Rothschild sparked a 3-0 run that gave the Knights an 11-9 lead.
· Kills from Young, Beckett and Oursler helped Arcadia pull even at 18-18.
· In a back-and-forth finish, the teams traded points until the set was tied at 22-22. The Knights then used back-to-back kills from Young and a Neumann error to close out the set, 25-22, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
SET THREE: Arcadia 25, Neumann 16
· Oursler's kill sparked a 3-0 run to open the third set before Rothschild's kill started a 5-0 run that also featured kills from Orsulak and Young, putting Arcadia ahead 8-4.
· A kill from Orsulak started a 2-0 run that doubled the Knights' lead to 10-5. Small's kill then sparked a 5-0 run that included another kill from Beckett and back-to-back aces from Kulas.
· Arcadia's offense continued to roll down the stretch, with eight of the Knights' final nine points coming on kills from Oursler, Rothschild, Young, Keer and Beckett, who recorded the final kill to complete the sweep.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Kills: Young (8), Beckett (8), Oursler (7)
Aces: Kailyn Riggi (2), Kulas (2), Small (1)
Blocks: Rothschild (2), Kulas (1), Oursler (1)
Assists: Small (17), Bryana Saenz (16), Riggi (1)
Digs: Riggi (8), Kulas (7), Oursler (6)
UP NEXT
The Knights return to action tomorrow for day two of the Knights Invitational. Arcadia takes on Rowan at 10 a.m. before closing out the day against Widener at 2 p.m.
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