2014 North Coast Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament Central

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Despite 10 kills from sophomore Bailey Gawley, the Gator volleyball squad dropped their North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament opener, 3-0, to third-seeded Hiram College on Friday evening at Pam Smith Arena.  The Gators dropped a closely contested first set, 25-21, before dropping the second and third sets by respective 25-13 and 25-14 decisions against the Terriers.

Gawley's 10 kills represent her fourth consecutive game with 10 or more kills, as she finished the afternoon with a .207 clip.  Juniors Sarah Swartz and Julia Weeks racked up four kills each, as Swartz added two total blocks to lead the squad.  Allegheny first year Terra Schall recorded a team-high 14 digs, as classmate Justine Kelly earned 19 assists.  Gator first years Hannah Cubarney and Leah Franzluebbers each earned a pair of kills and a block, as classmate Christa Cash posted eight digs.

In the first set, Allegheny held a 5-2 lead, but the Terriers responded with a 6-2 run to take the lead at 8-7.  Holding at a 10-10 stalemate, the two squads continued to battle, as Hiram was unable to earn a lead of more than four points against the Gators.  After seeing the Terriers improve their lead to 23-17, the Gators went on a three-point run keyed by a block from Franzluebbers and Cubarney, a Hiram attack error followed by a kill from Cubarney to bring the Hiram lead to 23-20. 

Despite the late Gator rally, a set closing, 2-1 swing by the Terriers gave the tournament's third seed the early advantage.  Weeks picked up all four of her kills in the first set, hitting .500 with four kills on eight total swings.

The Terriers used the momentum from their first set victory to take a 15-5 lead in the second, shaking off a late, 3-1 scoring run that included kills from Gawley and Cubarney to earn the final point and the 2-0 lead.  Allegheny scored the first two points of the third set, taking an early, 31 lead, but a four-point swing to Hiram changed the dynamic of the set. 

The Gators held their final lead of the contest, 9-8, before Hiram erupted for an 11-2 run that put the Terriers up, 19-11.  Hiram would use a match-ending, 5-1 run to advance into the winner's bracket.

Allegheny will play either second-seeded DePauw or seventh-seeded Oberlin on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. before closing out the tournament schedule at 3:30 p.m.