BRADFORD, Pa. - Women's volleyball opened AMCC play in thrilling fashion on Saturday afternoon, rallying past Pitt-Bradford, 3-2, at the McDowell Sport & Fitness Center. With the victory, it is now six straight wins for Coach Baker's squad.
The Mounties (7-3, 1-0 AMCC) jumped out to a strong start, taking the opening two sets before the Panthers (1-9, 0-1 AMCC) battled back to force a decisive fifth set.
Mount Aloysius controlled the opening set from the start, earning a 25-17 victory to take an early 1-0 lead. The Mounties then edged Pitt-Bradford in a back-and-forth second set, 28-26, putting themselves one set away from closing out the match.
The Panthers refused to go quietly, however, responding with a 25-18 win in the third set. Pitt-Bradford carried that momentum into the fourth, claiming another 25-21 victory to even the match at 2-2 and force a winner-take-all fifth set.
The deciding set lived up to the drama of the match, with neither team able to pull away. The Mounties ultimately prevailed, 16-14, with Reagan Karcher (Marietta, Ohio, Marietta) delivering the final blow with a service ace to secure the thrilling AMCC victory.
Mackenzie Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler) once again led the Mounties offensively, recording a team-high 17 kills while adding six service aces. Loren Stipanovich (Cresson, Pa, Penn Cambria) added nine kills and a team-high five blocks, while Jada McGill (Fishertown, Pa, Chestnut Ridge) finished with five kills and three blocks.
Kiersten Cummings (Las Vegas, Nev, Nevada State) directed the Mounties' offense with 23 assists, while Reghyn Wilson (Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop McDevitt) added 14 assists. Madison Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler) led the defensive effort with 11 digs, matching Karcher's 11 digs. Maya McIlwain (Rural Valley, Pa, West Shamokin) also reached double figures with 10 digs.
As a team, the Mounties recorded 45 kills, 12 service aces, seven blocks and 61 digs in the five-set battle.
With the victory, Mount Aloysius opens AMCC play at 1-0 and improves to 7-3 overall.
The Mounties will return to action Tuesday on the road at Wilson College (0-9). First serve will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Gannett Memorial Field House in Chambersburg, PA.
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