MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny defense came up strong in the Gators' home debut, helping usher the Blue and Gold to a pair of 3-0 wins over Thiel and Pitt-Greensburg on the first day of the Gator Invitational Friday evening at the David V. Wise Center.  Allegheny upended the Tomcats, 25-22, 25-13, 25-17, before defeating the Bobcats, 25-13, 25-15, 25-12.

The Gators held the Tomcats to a .007 hitting percentage while stifling the Bobcat attackers to a -.086 hitting percentage and 13 total kills, the lowest total allowed this season to an opponent.  Against Thiel, four Gators finished the game registering double-digit digs, led by 17 from senior Catherine Kasianowicz.  Freshman Christa Cash added 13 digs, as fellow first years Terra Schall and Kylee Karczewski added 12 and 11, respectively, to contribute to the Gators' 70 total kills.  Against Pitt-Greensburg, Kasianowicz added 22 digs to compliment 14 from Schall.

Junior Taylor Samuel, who earned Allegheny Female Athlete of the Week honors on Monday, racked up a game-high 10 kills against Thiel and eight against Pitt-Greensburg, while fellow third year Sarah Swartz picked up a game-high 10 kills against the Bobcats.  Freshman Justine Kelly scored 19 assists against the Tomcats and 26 against the Bobcats.

Against the Tomcats, the Gators vaulted out to a 10-3 lead in the first set, but Thiel responded by tying the opening stanza at 18-18.  The Gators closed out the match on a 7-4 run to take the first set.  After a second set win that saw Schall spearhead a six-point run that essentially clinched the 2-0 advantage for the Blue and Gold, the Gators raced out to a 17-12 lead on a four-point run under serve from Swartz that allowed the team the space to clinch the match with a decisive, third set win.

In the first set against the Bobcats, Allegheny vaulted out to a 14-5 lead before a seven-point run on serve from Cash closed the set in favor of the Gators, 25-13.  Allegheny cruised to the second-set victory, jumping out to a 20-6 lead after a eight-point run from Schall followed by a four point run under serve from Cash clinched the game.  The Gators closed the match with a 17-3 advantage in the third set, ending the match with a 25-12 win.

Allegheny will battle Mount Aloysius and Manhattanville to close the Gator Invitational at 12 and 2 p.m., respectively, on Saturday at the David V. Wise Center.