WASHINGTON, Pa. (Oct. 9)- The Saint Vincent women's volleyball team came from behind to defeat W&J 3-2 in a five-set PAC match on Wednesday night.
 
The Bearcats (8-9, 2-0 PAC) rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the final two sets in the match to knock off W&J (10-9, 1-1 PAC).
 
The Presidents and Bearcats each one won of the first two sets with W&J taking the opening set 25-22 and Saint Vincent winning set two 25-13. W&J won 27-25 in set three, before the Bearcats won back-to-back sets by scores of 25-22 and 17-15 in the winner take all fifth set.
 
Stacie Ramos recorded a team-high 42 digs on the night for the Bearcats. Those 42 digs for Ramos are second most in team history, and most for digs for a Saint Vincent player since Madie Marsico recorded 45 in 2021 in a match at Penn State-Altoona.
 
Meegan Williams recorded another double-double for the Bearcats with a match-high 24 kills, while she also added 24 digs for Saint Vincent. Vivian Poach added a match-high 53 assists in the win as well, while Kaelyn Staples-Klasnic recorded 20 kills.
 
Dakota Hershberger added 11 kills, including the match clinching kill in the fifth set for the Bearcats, while also totaling 18 digs, joining Williams with a double-double. Lauren Fox was solid for the Bearcats as well with six kills and four blocks in the 3-2 win.
 
It was back-and-forth in the opening set of the night. The teams traded the first several points of the set as it was tied 4-4 and remained tied at 18-18 as neither team was able to pull away.
 
W&J scored the next three points to take a 21-18, but the Bearcats battled back scoring the next two points on a kill and service ace from Williams to cut the Presidents lead to 21-20. W&J went on to score four of the final six points to win the opening set (25-22) as the Bearcats found themselves trailing 1-0 in the match.
 
In the second set, it was a much different story as Saint Vincent controlled the entirety of the set. After the set was tied 3-3, the Bearcats scored the next five points on kills from Hershberger and Williams, mixed between two errors by the Presidents and an ace from Staples-Klasnic to give Saint Vincent an 8-3 advantage.
 
From that point on, the Bearcats never looked back in the set. They continued on a 15-10 run to take a commanding 23-13 lead, before scoring the final two points of the set on an attack error by W&J and another ace from Staples-Klasnic to win the second set (25-13), tying the match up at 1-1.
 
The third set was very similar to the opening set as the teams traded points back-and-forth in a marathon set. The set was tied at 6-6 and the teams continued to trade points as the set moved on as the Presidents held a slight 17-16 advantage.
 
W&J increased their lead to two at 24-22 after a kill from the Presidents. The Bearcats battled back, but it was too little too late. The teams traded the next six points as Saint Vincent fell in third set (27-25), giving the Presidents a 2-1 advantage in the match.
 
The Bearcats got behind early in the fourth set as W&J opened up to a 7-4 lead in the set. The teams traded the next several points as the set remained a three-point deficit for the Bearcats at 17-14.
 
Saint Vincent wouldn't go down easily in the set as they quickly went on a 6-1 run to take a 20-18 lead in the set, forcing a W&J timeout. Out of the timeout, the SVC run continued as the Bearcats scored another point to take a 21-18 lead, before a kill from the Presidents cut the lead back to 21-19.
 
W&J would continue to pressure SVC as they once again cut the lead to one at 22-21 and went on to tie the set back up at 22-22. The Bearcats went on to put the set away, scoring the final three points of the set, including a set point kill by Staples-Klasnic to win the fourth set (25-22), forcing the winner take all fifth set.
 
The Bearcats took the first momentum swing of the fifth and decisive set. Saint Vincent quickly opened up to a 5-2 lead in the set in hopes to pull off the comeback win. That momentum continued throughout the middle portions of the set as the Bearcats continued on a 6-2 run to increase their lead to 11-4 in the set. W&J wouldn't go away as they went on an 8-1 run to cut the lead to 12-11 and later tied the set at 13-13. Staples-Klasnic got Saint Vincent back on track as she continued her big night to give SVC a 14-13 lead after another kill, but W&J tied it at 14-14 on the next point.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued as the set remained tied at 15-15. The Bearcats shut the door and closed out the win, scoring the next two points on back-to-back kills. Staples-Klasnic recorded the kill to put Saint Vincent up 16-15 and Hershberger followed with the game-winning kill to win the set for the Bearcats (17-15) and the match 3-2.
 
As a team, the Bearcats recorded a .169 hitting percentage, while holding the Presidents to a .118 percentage. Saint Vincent also led kills by a 67-60 margin and assists as well at a 60-59 clip. SVC also recorded 128 digs, in comparison to W&J's 116. The Bearcats added eight service aces as well in the win.
 
Saint Vincent will look to keep their four-game win streak alive when they host Grove City on Saturday, October 12. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Center.