Posted: Oct 01, 2019
GLENSIDE, Pa. - Staring down its first loss of the season as well as its first-ever loss in MAC Commonwealth play, the Stevenson University women's volleyball team rallied to stun Arcadia University 3-2 Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium. Set scores were 18-25, 15-25, 25-22, 27-25, 15-13.
- Stevenson (16-0, 4-0 MAC Commonwealth) held an early 5-4 lead following a service error.
- Arcadia (10-7, 3-1 MAC Commonwealth) used a 9-3 run to build a 12-8 advantage, and extended the lead to 19-10.
- The Mustangs scored six straight points and back-to-back Knight attack errors pulled the guests within three, 19-16.
- Arcadia scored the next three points to claim a 22-16 lead and closed out the set on a Lauren Enfield kill.
- Arcadia jumped out to a 6-1 lead before a kill by Katie Leftridge ended the early spurt.
- The Knights extended the lead to 17-6 before a kill by Victoria Prokic.
- With the hosts serving for set point at 24-13, an Arcadia ball-handling error and a Shannon Baily kill pulled the Mustangs within 24-15, but an attack error gave the Knights a 2-0 lead.
- Stevenson staked itself to an early 8-4 lead.
- The Mustangs took an 18-13 lead on a Prokic kill following an Arcadia service error.
- Trailing 21-18, Arcadia reeled off three straight points to tie the set 21-21.
- The guests retook the lead, 22-21, on a Leftridge kill.
- Leading 23-22, back-to-back kills by Leftridge and Baily closed out the set and kept the Mustangs alive.
- Arcadia led 22-18 before a Leftridge kill and a block by Mackenzie Blevins and Caroline Dangel halved the lead.
- The Knights were serving for the match at 24-22 when a Baily kill followed by an attack error tied the set.
- The hosts reclaimed the lead, 25-24, on a Shannon Ryan kill, but on the second match point, Simone Gest came up with a kill to forge another tie.
- Another Gest kill made it 26-25, and an Arcadia attack error sent the match to a deciding set.
- Stevenson scored the first three points of the set and led 8-5 at the changeover.
- Arcadia used a 6-2 run to take an 11-10 lead on a Mustang service error.
- A Blevins kill, followed by a block by Blevins and Haley Hoover, put the Mustangs up 12-11.
- The Knights tied the set two more times, at 12-12 and 13-13, but back-to-back attack errors allowed Stevenson to complete the comeback.
- The Mustangs moved to 62-0 all-time in MAC Commonwealth regular season play and 76-0 including the conference tournament.
- The five-set win was just Stevenson's fourth in MAC Commonwealth action in the regular season and just the second in which the Mustangs trailed 2-0. Stevenson fell behind Messiah 25-16, 25-16 on September 23, 2015 before winning the final three sets 25-16, 25-19, 15-10.
- Stevenson's 16 wins to start the season are the second-best start in program history. The 2013 team won its first 23 matches.
- Stevenson, which is receiving votes in the most recent AVCA poll released Tuesday afternoon, remains one of three unbeaten teams in the country along with Johns Hopkins and Tufts.
- Leftridge led the Mustangs with 19 kills and 14 digs.
- Baily finished with 10 kills and four blocks, while Prokic had nine kills, seven digs and five blocks.
- Blevins and Gest each chipped in with eight kills, with Blevins also posting four blocks.
- Kayla Vaeth had a team-best 17 digs.
- Julie Nightwine finished with 23 assists and 13 digs, while Dangel had 22 assists.
- The Mustangs hit .247 overall, including .389 in the fifth set and .265 over the final three frames.
- Arcadia hit .310 in the first set and .500 in the second, but just .180 over the final three and .247 for the match.
- Stevenson travels to Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday, October 5 for a tri-match, taking on the host Nittany Lions at noon and Wesley at 2 pm.
- The Mustangs return home Tuesday, October 8, hosting Elizabethtown in a 7 pm non-conference match at Owings Mills Gymnasium.