VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- After a long awaited hiatus, the 2021-22 athletic season is upon us! On Friday, the Mount Aloysius Women's Volleyball team returned to play, as the first Mountie team of the year to compete. They were in action for Day 1 of the Marlin Inviational, hosted by Virginia Wesleyan.

Leaders
- Ashlee Parrish (Northern Cambria, PA, Northern Cambria) had a team-high, 15 kills, on the day, including 10 during the second match of the day, against Geneva.
- Hannah Atzeni (Sligo, PA, Union) and Emma Colyer (Orlando, FL, Olympia) each registered 14 assists through the two games, as the main two setters for the Mounties.
- Colyer also led the team with five services aces, including two-in-a-row, during a four point stretch against VWU.

How It Happened

GAME 1 (vs. Virginia Wesleyan)
- The Mounties fell behind early thanks to a 5-0 run by the Marlins. They were never able to recover in the set.
- Trailing 8-2, they would score four straight points, getting the score back to 8-6, including two Colyer aces. VWU followed that up with a 14-4 stretch, putting the set out of reach, finishing off the Mounties 25-14.
- In the second set, Mount Aloysius jumped ahead 3-1 with kills from both Parrish and Ava Myers (Gallitzin, PA, Bishop Carroll). However, the Marlins followed that up scoring the next six points and outscoring the Mounties 24-8. Mount Aloysius did not score more than two points at a time, during the set.
- Set number three started off poorly for Mount Aloysius, as well, as the Marlins scored the first five points, and ten of the first 14, jumping out 10-4. The Mounties held strong through the rest of the set, as they were down 23-13, they scored five of the next six points to make the match closer. VWU finished the set with the last point, downing the Mounties, 3-0 in Game 1 of the tournament.

GAME 2 (vs. Geneva)
- After shaking off the rust in Game One, the Mounties started off hot in Game Two, picking up the first set, 25-21. They had ten kills, but only committed six errors, helping them take the 1-0 lead.
- The Golden Tornadoes flipped the script in the second set, also winning 25-21. Mount Aloysius struggled in the attack game, only registering five kills.
- In sets three and four, Geneva out-hit the Mounties significantly, leading to lopsided scores of 25-14 and 25-15. The Tornadoes earned the victory, putting the Mounties at 0-2 on the day.

Day Notes
- Three Mounties made their collegiate debuts, on Friday. Andrea Kiser (Altoona, PA, Altoona), Matie Rupp (York, PA, West York), and Kiersten Szpala (Ebensburg, PA, Central Cambria) all played in at least one of the two matches. While last year's freshman are listed as freshman, due to COVID-19, these three are in their first season.
- Parrish led the Mounties in each game with kills, while Myers was second. Abigail Fletcher (Salem, VA, Glenvar) was the leader in both games in digs. She currently ranks third in the AMCC after two matches, with 5.0 kills per set.

Up Next
The Mounties get back on the horse quickly, as they continue with Day Two of the Marlin Invitational, today, with a 10am match against Mary Washington and a noon match against Southern Virginia.