LATROBE, Pa.—The Allegheny College volleyball team wrapped up play at the Bearcat Challenge, hosted by St. Vincent College Saturday (Aug. 31).
 
In their opening match, the Gators defeated the host Bearcats 3-1 (26-24, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19), but fell in their second match to Westminster College 3-0 (25-12, 29-27, 25-15).
 
Game One – Allegheny 3, St. Vincent 1
 
The Bearcats led 24-19 in the opening set before the Gators stormed back.  Five straight points tied the set at 24.  Tamara Babic (Belgrade, Serbia/Third Belgrade) gave the Gators their first set point with a kill, which was awarded to them on an attack error by the Bearcats.
 
St. Vincent bounced back in the second set with a four-point win to tie the overall match up.  Allegheny regained the lead with a 25-19 win in the third set, putting the match win within one set.
 
The Gators got off to a fast start in the final set, leading by as much as seven at 17-10.  Up 24-19, the Gators captured the set on a setting error to take the match 3-1.
 
Grace Lengauer (Avella, Pa./Avella) led the Gators with 14 kills and 17 digs.  Babic finished with nine kills while Cheyenne Wilson (Chico, Calif./Pleasant Valley) had eight.  Jyl Russotti (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) contributed seven kills while Kendall Crum (Chatanooga, Tenn./Girls Preparatory) and Alysha Crowther (Santa Cruz, Calif./Santa Cruz) had six apiece.  Olivia D'Andrea (Pittsburgh, Pa./Serra Catholic) led the Gators with 22 assists while Raelynn Dorscheid (Macedon, N.Y./Penfield) had 19. 
 
Rebecca MacQuarrie (Waterford, Pa./Fort Leboeuf) had her second 22 dig performance in as many days.  D'Andrea added 18 while Wilson had 12.  Russotti had five total blocks.
 
Game Two – Westminster 3, Allegheny 0
 
The Titans got out to a fast start in the opening set as they took it 25-12.  The second set was more tightly contested as the teams found themselves in a deadlock at 25 all.  The Titans earned the first set point but the Gators staved it off. A Crowther kill then gave the Gators a set point.  However, a pair of kills and a Gator attack error gave Westminster three straight points as they took the second set 29-27.
 
The momentum from their second set win carried over to the final set, as the Titans jumped out to a quick lead, and ending the set on a 7-1 to sweep the match.
 
Wilson led the Gator offense with 10 kills.  She also contributed 10 digs.  Crowther finished with eight kills while Kristiana Hardisty (Camarillo, Calif./Rancho Campana) had four.  D'Andrea had 19 assists. 
 
Once again, MacQuarrie led the Gators in digs, this time with 16.  Dorscheid tallied eight digs while D'Andrea and Taylor Besch (Chicago, Ill/Ressurection) had six.
 
The Gators are back in action Wednesday (Sept. 4) when they host Geneva College for their first home game of the season.