MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny volleyball team bounced back from a 2-0 deficit against Geneva to win a dramatic five set Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) match (9-25, 21-25, 25-22, 30-28, 15-11) in Meadville Friday night (Oct. 7).
 
Geneva took the first two sets, 25-9 and 25-22, before the Gators mounted a comeback. 
 
The Gators owned a small advantage early in the third set, leading to a Golden Tornadoes timeout at 12-9. Following the timeout, Geneva went on a 7-3 run to take the lead at 16-15. The Gators rallied after their own timeout, going on a 5-2 run to gain a 20-18 advantage. That lead held up as the Gators captured the set 25-22.
 
Allegheny started off strong in the fourth set behind a pair of aces by Izzy Gray (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek). Deadlocked at three apiece, the Gators rattled off a quick 4-0 run to pull ahead, 7-3. After a timeout, the run grew to 7-0 before Geneva broke it up. Geneva came back and tied it at 17, but a 3-0 run put the Gators back in front. Once again, Geneva bounced back, tying the set at 23. The teams went back-and-forth staving off numerous match and set points before the Gators finished the set, 30-28, with a Dagney Javes (Frederick, Colo./Dawson School) kill, forcing the fifth and deciding set.
 
Geneva gained the early advantage in the final set, 5-2. Following a timeout, the Gators rallied to tie the set at seven. Similar to the end of the fourth set, the teams went back-and-forth with Allegheny taking an 11-10 lead before a Geneva timeout. After the timeout, the Gators blocked a pair of attacks to grow the lead to 13-10. After a Golden Tornado point, Kendall Crum (Chattanooga, Tenn./Girls Preparatory) and Cheyenne Wilson (Chico, Calif./Pleasant Valley) had back-to-back kills to end the match.
 
Inside the Box

• Wilson led the Gators as she tied her season-high with 17 kills and 23 digs.
• Three other Gators had double-digit kills: Javes (13), Crum (12) and India McCruter (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) (10).
• Gray led the Gators with a season-high 27 assists and three aces.
• Meagan Robare (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) and Leah Ungashick (Akron, Ohio/Coventry) had 13 and 11 assists, respectively.
• Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.) led the Gators with 35 digs.
• Cetta Panza (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) had a season-high 16 digs while Javes also finished in double digits with 11.
• McCruter tallied 10 total blocks (nine assists, one solo) while Emma Chambers (Stoutsville, Ohio/Amanda Clearcreek) and Javes had five apiece.

 
News and Notes

• With the win, the Gators move to 13-8 overall and 3-0 in PAC play.
• Allegheny is now 10-8 all-time against Geneva.
• The 115 digs, 60 kills, 54 assists and 15 total blocks by the Gators are all season-highs.

 
Up Next
The Gators are back on the road next Thursday (Oct. 13) for a PAC match against Franciscan at 7 pm.