LORETTO, Pa. (Nov. 4) – The Saint Vincent College women's volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit, but ultimately fell in a five-set thriller to Saint Francis University on Wednesday evening at DeGol Arena.
After dropping the opening two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-21, the Bearcats responded with convincing 25-14 and 25-20 victories in the third and fourth sets, respectively, before falling 17-15 in a tightly contested fifth set.
With the loss, Saint Vincent falls to 5-15 overall, while Saint Francis improves to 11-12 on the season.
Meegan Williams led the Saint Vincent offensive attack, recording a match-high 21 kills to go along with 17 digs and three service aces. Aubrey Siwula followed with 13 kills and seven digs, while Sabrina George added five kills and six digs.
Defensively, Brenna McCracken led the Bearcats with a match-high 25 digs, while Preslee Horchak turned in a strong all-around performance with 18 assists, 10 digs, and three service aces. Madie Eagler and Bailey Green each dished out 12 assists, while Ashlynn Schutz recorded four kills and three total blocks.
The opening set was tightly contested, with both teams trading points throughout the early stages. Saint Francis eventually pulled away late to take the first set, 25-20.
In the second set, Saint Vincent jumped out to an early 6-1 advantage before the Red Wolves battled back. Despite the Bearcats maintaining a narrow lead for much of the set, Saint Francis rallied to take a 25-21 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Facing a two-set deficit, the Bearcats responded in the third set, taking control offensively and limiting Saint Francis to a negative hitting percentage of -.111. Saint Vincent cruised to a 25-14 victory to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Bearcats carried that momentum into the fourth set, recording a match-best .294 hitting percentage with 13 kills and just three attacking errors. Saint Vincent took the set, 25-20, to force a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth and final set, Saint Francis jumped out to an early advantage before Saint Vincent battled back. Trailing 10-4, the Bearcats rallied to even the score at 12-12. After falling behind 14-12, Saint Vincent fought off two match points and eventually evened the score once again at 15-15. However, the Red Wolves secured the final two points to escape with a 17-15 victory.
As a team, Saint Vincent held advantages in kills (50-49), digs (82-78), and hitting percentage (.151-.080), while also recording 11 service aces.
Ava Holden and Rylan Crowell led Saint Francis with 14 kills apiece, while Alexandra Sappia recorded 34 assists in the victory.
The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, November 7, when they host Allegheny College in their regular-season finale at the Robert S. Carey Student Center. The Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
