GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University women's volleyball team returned to the win column Wednesday night, rallying for a five-set victory over Drew University at home. The Knights (11-4, 1-1 MAC Freedom) opened with a 25-17 win before dropping the second set, 25-16, and third set, 25-17. Arcadia responded by taking the fourth set, 25-23, before dominating the deciding set, 15-5. Both teams hit .211 for the match, while the Knights erupted for a .526 hitting percentage in the fifth set. Raegan Oursler led the Knights with 18 kills, while Alliy Kulas and Avery Bell each recorded three aces, Anna Keer had three blocks, Bryana Saenz totaled 19 assists and Kaitlyn Small finished with 11 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE: Arcadia 25 – Drew 17
· Saenz got the Knights on the board first with an early ace before a kill from Morgan Orsulak tied the set at 3-3. Down by one, the Knights went on a 6-0 run that included an ace from Small and two kills from Oursler.
· Back-to-back kills from Oursler and Keer put the Knights ahead 11-5 before Arcadia added three straight points on kills from Mia Beckett and Devon Young and an ace from Bell.
· Kills from Kam Wertz and Orsulak and two more from Oursler pushed the lead to 19-13. Beckett's kill got the Knights to 20 before a block from Keer and Young started another 3-0 run that included a kill from Young and another ace from Bell.
· Beckett slammed down the final kill to give the Knights a 25-17 victory in the opening set.
SET TWO: Drew 25 – Arcadia 16
· Kills from Wertz, Orsulak and Oursler, along with an ace from Kailyn Riggi, tied the set at 4-4. The teams traded 3-0 runs, with the Knights getting kills from Oursler and an ace from Oursler.
· A 4-0 Drew run gave the Rangers an 11-8 lead before another ace from Bell. Kills from Young and Oursler sandwiched a 7-3 run from the Rangers.
· Final kills from Orsulak and Beckett attempted to bring the Knights back into the set, but Drew closed on a 4-0 run to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-16 victory.
SET THREE: Drew 25 – Arcadia 17
· Oursler's kill got the Knights on the board in the third set before Arcadia took advantage of several Drew miscues. Young's kill ended a 3-0 Drew run and tied the set at 6-6. A kill from Small tied the set again at 8-8, but Drew responded with a 5-0 run to take a 13-8 lead.
· Kills from Oursler, Wertz and Keer attempted to bring the Knights back into the set, but another 5-0 run from Drew extended the Rangers' lead to 20-12.
· Kills from Young, Beckett and Oursler cut into the deficit, but the Rangers closed out the third set, 25-17, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
SET FOUR: Arcadia 25 – Drew 23
· Needing to win the set to keep the match alive, Kulas fired two aces to give the Knights an early 3-0 lead. A solo block from Keer made it 5-2 before Orsulak added a kill.
· An ace from Oursler and a kill from Keer fueled a 3-0 run before Young's kill started a 2-0 run that included an ace from Saenz. Drew answered with a 7-1 run to tie the set at 14-14.
· The teams continued to trade points with kills from Oursler, Young and Wertz. A kill from Orsulak and a Drew error cut the Rangers' lead to 21-20.
· With Drew leading 23-21, the Knights closed the set with three kills from Oursler and a kill from Saenz to even the match at 2-2.
SET FIVE: Arcadia 15 – Drew 5
· Down early, Young's kill tied the set at 1-1 before an ace from Kulas. A kill from Wertz and a block from Keer and Orsulak gave the Knights a 4-2 lead.
· Three kills from Oursler and a kill from Julia Archelle pushed the lead to 10-3, fueling a 5-0 run.
· Momentum clearly shifted in the deciding set as the Knights powered past the Rangers to close the match on a 5-1 run. Keer recorded a kill, Archelle added back-to-back kills and Young slammed down the final kill to seal the five-set victory.
KNIGHT LEADERS
Kills: Oursler (18), Young (10), Orsulak (6)
Aces: Kulas (3), Bell (3), Saenz (1)
Blocks: Keer (3), Young (1), Orsulak (1)
Assists: Saenz (19), Small (17), Bell (4)
Digs: Small (11), Bell (9), Oursler (8)
UP NEXT
The Knights hit the road Saturday for a tri-match in Lancaster, Pa. Arcadia will face Notre Dame of Maryland at 1 p.m. before taking on host Lancaster Bible College at 3 p.m.
#DefendTheCastle
