MEADVILLE, Pa. – Four attackers with double digit kills and a .220 hitting percentage pushed the Denison Big Red past the Gators, 3-1, in a highly competitive affair on Saturday afternoon at the David V. Wise Center.  After Denison picked up a first set win, 25-19, Allegheny tied the match with a 25-23, second set victory.  The Big Red clinched the win with 25-15 and 25-22 wins in the third and fourth sets, respectively.

Sophomore Bailey Gawley picked up a team-high nine kills for the Gators, as junior Taylor Samuel and freshman Leah Franzluebbers earned seven each.  Senior Catherine Kasianowicz led the Gators with 26 digs, as freshmen Terra Schall and Kylee Karczewski picked up 13 and 12 digs, respectively.

Gawley and junior Sarah Swartz tied for a team-high three blocks, while freshman Justine Kelly racked up 34 assists. Additionally, Karczewski, Kasianowicz and Samuel each picked up a service ace.

Allegheny forced a Denison timeout after two unanswered points brought the Gators back from a first set deficit to a 15-15 stalemate.  The Big Red erupted on a 7-1 run to go up, 22-16,withstanding a late Allegheny run to pick up a 25-19, first set win.

Trailing, 17-14 in the second set, The Gators took a 22-21 lead after a block by Kelly and Swartz, capping a 7-2, set-closing run that tied the contest heading into the third set.  The Big Red jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the third set, finishing the set with 16 total kills compared to three errors for a .361 clip, pushing the Gators to the brink with a 25-15, third set decision.

The Gators scored an 8-5 advantage in the fourth, but a 9-1 run by Denison swung the momentum back to the Big Red.  Trailing, 16-10, the Gators went on a 6-3 run to cut the lead to three points, but their rally was snuffed out after a timeout from Denison.  The two teams traded points before back-to-back kills from Gawley and junior Julia Weeks brought Allegheny within one point of the lead, but Denison was able to weather the determined Allegheny team, sealing the win in five sets with a 25-22 fourth set win.

Allegheny will continue NCAC play with a 7 p.m. contest against Hiram on Wednesday, Oct. 8.  The Gators will then travel to Houghton, N.Y. over the weekend for a non-conference tri-match before battling the Kenyon Ladies at home on Oct. 18, which will also be homecoming for the Blue and Gold.