MEADVILLE, Pa.—The Allegheny volleyball team returned to the friendly confines of the James H. Mullen, Jr. Arena Thursday (Oct. 10) in victorious fashion, sweeping La Roche in nonconference play.
The Gators won the sets 25-14, 25-23 and 25-16.
The Redhawks won the opening two points of the match before the Gators rattled off nine straight points off serves by
Rebecca MacQuarrie (Waterford, Pa./Fort Lebeouf). La Roche fought back with a 7-0 run to tie the set. After some back and forth play, the Gators closed the set on a 9-1 run.
Similar to the opening set, the Redhawks gained the early advantage before a Gator run gave them a 5-4 lead. The game remained close until a 5-1 run pushed Allegheny ahead, 14-9. However, the Redhawks fought back, pulling within two points at 17-15. Trailing by four later in the set, a 3-0 run pulled La Roche within one, 23-22. Leading 24-23,
Cheyenne Wilson (Chico, Calif./Pleasant Valley) tallied a kill to secure the second set win, putting the Gators ahead in the match 2-0.
Unlike the first two sets, the Gators got out ahead early in the third set, amassing a 6-0 lead before La Roche got on the board. Allegheny maintained their lead as they closed the match on a 5-0 run, capped off by a pair of kills by
Elizabeth Debich (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area), to pick up the win.
Debich led the way for Allegheny with nine kills.
Jyl Russotti (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) had seven kills, while
Jillian Kirby (Cincinnati, Ohio/Clermont Northeastern) and Wilson had six apiece.
Kristiana Hardisty (Camarillo, Calif./Rancho Campana) added five kills.
In all, the Gators served up 10 aces. MacQuarrie had four of them, while
Olivia D'Andrea (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) had three and
Raelynn Dorscheid (Macedon, N.Y./Penfield) had two.
Dorscheid tallied 16 assists while D'Andrea had 13.
In addition to her ace total, MacQuarrie led the Gators 17 digs. Dorscheid and
Kate Christie (Schenectady, N.Y./Niskayuna) had seven digs apiece.
Allegheny is back in action Oct. 19 when they host Ohio Wesleyan in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) action.
