SANDUSKY, Oh – The Shenandoah University Volleyball team completed the Great Lakes Crossover Tournament hosted by Heidelberg University with a day two split with Alma College and Washington College (Md).
Game 1 Alma College
Shenandoah (1-2) dropped the first game of the day to Alma College (2-1) by scores of (19-25
, 18-25, 28-26, 21-25).
Abby Lichtenfels came up with a kill late in the first set to tie the score at 18, but the Scots would use a five-point run to put Alma up 23-18.
Emma Thompson picked up a kill and tried to subdue Alma's offense, but it was not enough as Alma would score the next two points to take the first set.
In a back-and-forth set two, the Hornets would score two points late to pull within five points, but it was not enough as Alma would score the final three points of the set and take a 2-0 lead into the third set.
The Hornets jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in set number three, before weathering a late run from Alma of seven straight points to put the Scots up 21-19. Needing to level the score at 25 to keep the Hornets' hopes alive, kills from
Brooke Gast and
Cheyenne Price put SU up 26-25. Alma tried one more rally, but
Cara Butler would put the set away with an ace, and give the Hornets the victory.
Alma never trailed in the fourth, even though Shenandoah would keep it close. Alma would build too much of a lead and the Hornets just ran out of time and would eventually drop the set and the match.
Jillian Warter had 16 kills in the match with
Brooke Gast right behind her with 11 kills of her own. Setter
Abby Lichtenfels would dish out 44 helpers on the day, and
Natalie Reader came up with 20 digs in the match.
Game 2 Washington College (Md)
In the final game of the tournament for Shenandoah (2-2), the Hornets would defeat the Shorewomen (0-4) in straight sets (22-25, 22-25, 25-23). This match was intense from the get-go, as both teams would use large runs, but right away the other team would be there to capitalize.
Shenandoah would jump out to a 6-0 lead in the first set and never trail the rest of the way in the set, even though Washington College would tie the match at 15. After an ace by the Shorewoman to pull within a point, it would be a kill from
Abby Lichtenfels and a Washington error to give the first set to the Hornets.
Again in set two, Shenandoah would jump out to an early 2-0 lead before rattling off another four points in a row to take a commanding 5-1 lead in the second. Washington would take their first lead of the set on a seven-point run to pull ahead 12-10. But then the Hornets would use a four-point late run of their own to regain the lead, one that they would hold on to for the rest of the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead into the close-out set.
In third, Washington would lead early 8-1, but the resilience of the Hornets, gave SU their first lead in the third on a service ace from
Cara Butler. Washington would use a late push to regain the lead 23-22, but it was Shenandoah who would fight back to rattle off the final three points of the match on kills from Gast and Warter.
Jillian Warter would lead the way offensively in this match for Shenandoah as she would add another 11 kills to her day.
Natalie Reader had a team-high 16 digs and
Abby Lichtenfels had 25 assists in the sweep.
Next up for the Hornets, is the Shenandoah Invitational starting next Friday at 3:30 where the Hornets will take on Mary Baldwin and Misericordia to start the tournament.
