MEADVILLE, Pa. – After a lopsided first set, the Gators battled back and forth with the Wooster Fighting Scots, picking up their third North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) win, 3-0, on Wednsesday evening at the David V. Wise Center.  Allegheny won the first set, 25-10, picking up a dramatic, 30-28, comeback second set win before clinching the set with a 25-22, third set victory.

Junior Bailey Gawley led the Gators with 12 kills, posting a .304 hitting percentage for the Blue and Gold.  Freshman Hannah Cubarney continued her recent offensive success, picking up 10 kills while hitting .280 on the evening.  Freshman Justine Kelly registered 34 assists, while senior Catherine Kasianowicz led the squad with 13 digs.

Freshman Terra Schall kicked off the match with six unanswered points to give the Gators a comfortable early lead.  A four-point run that included an ace by freshman Christa Cash, followed by a seven-point run under serve from first year Kylee Karczewski gave the squad an 18-6 lead, as Allegheny would clinch the set several points later for the early, 1-0 advantage.  The Gators finished the set with a scalding .417 hitting percentage, scoring 12 kills in the first.

Leading, 7-3, the Gators saw their second set lead slowly dissipate as Wooster was able to keep the Allegheny hitters at bay.  The Fighting Scots took a 14-13 lead in the second set, but a two-point swing favoring the Gators put the Blue and Gold back into the lead.  The squads continued to battle, trading leads until Allegheny was able use a three-point lead to grab a 20-18 advantage.  The Fighting Scots responded with a three-point run of its own to swing the momentum back in their favor.

Facing set point for Wooster at 24-23, a block by Kelly and junior Sarah Swartz followed by a kill from Gawley tied the contest up once again.  The Gators came back from set point two more times in the set, starting the final rally trailing, 28-27.  After a Wooster service and attack error, Kasianowicz scored a service ace on set point to cap the comeback and put the Gators up, 2-0.

The two squads battled again in the third set, holding at a 14-14 stalemate midway through the set.  After a two-point run from Wooster, Allegheny went on an 8-5 run to take a 22-19 lead, holding off the Fighting Scots down the stretch.  Gawley clinched the match with a set-ending kill, pushing the Gators to their seventh home win of the season.

With Wednesday's decision, the Gators pick up their first win over the Fighting Scots since the 2006 season, clinching their best record since the 2005 season in the process. Allegheny will close out the regular season against University Athletic Association (UAA) member Carnegie Mellon at home on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.  Kasianowicz will be honored prior to the game during her final game as a member of the Allegheny volleyball program.  Their spot assured in the NCAC Tournament, the Gators, who enter the post-season as the sixth seed in the conference, will face third-seeded Hiram to start the NCAC tournament on Nov. 7.