NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Allegheny College's outstanding 2024 season came to an end on Thursday evening, as the Gators fell in three sets against East Texas Baptist University in the first round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship at Christopher Newport University.

ETBU (29-1), ranked No. 8 in Division III in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, advances to the second round of the regional bracket at CNU and will face either the host Captains or William Paterson University. Thursday's victory was the 28th in a row for the Tigers, a win streak that dates back to August 31st.

The Gators (26-6) matched the Tigers point-for-point in the early moments of each set, but kept pace with East Texas Baptist further into the first and third. Allegheny won the first two points of the match and took a 9-8 lead on an Angelee Bawek (Goodyear, Ariz./Estrella Foothills) kill. East Texas Baptist responded by capturing eight unanswered points, creating a hole too deep for Allegheny to dig itself out of in the first set.

Defense looked strong on the first few points in the second set. Allegheny built a quick 3-0 lead thanks to a double block from Bawek and Skyler Fatola (Queen Creek, Ariz./Eastmark) and a solo rejection from Fatola. Once again, however, ETBU went on a run, this time winning six in a row. Three of those points came off aces, and the Tigers never looked back once they jumped ahead in the set.

The most competitive set of the evening was the third. The score was tied on 16 different occasions, as the two sides traded one- and two-point leads. The Gators flipped a 7-5 deficit into a two-point lead, 9-7, with four consecutive points that included a Bawek ace. A Bawek kill followed by a Meagan Robare (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) ace allowed Allegheny to climb back ahead by two at 17-15. Sydney Kirk (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle Catholic) floored a kill that gave the Gators their last lead of the match, 19-18, but the Tigers broke a 20-all stalemate with the final five points.

Inside the Box Score

• The Gators hit .214 in both the second and third sets but swung at a rate of .125 for the entire contest.
• East Texas Baptist finished with a match-leading .303 attack percentage.
• Both teams had four total blocks, while the Tigers had a slight advantage in aces, 5-to-4.
• Bawek led all Gators with 10 kills in addition to three digs, one ace, and one block.
• Senior middle hitter Dagney Javes (Frederick, Colo./Dawson School) had eight kills with one solo block.
• First-year outside Carlee Pepperman (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area) collected five kills with only one attack error.
• Fatola had a team-high three total blocks.
• Robare dished out 18 of Allegheny's 28 assists.
• Libero Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.)) recorded a match-leading 17 digs.
• Graycee Mosley led ETBU with 17 kills, a .577 attack percentage, and 10 digs.

News and Notes

• Thursday's regional match was the first-ever between Allegheny and No. 8 East Texas Baptist.
• The Gators made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1991.
• Bawek ended the season with double-digit kills in eight consecutive matches while leading the team with 420 kills on the season.
• Diaz's 691 digs rank third in program single-season history.
• Javes finished her career with 998 kills, including a career-high 410 as a senior.
• Robare will graduate with 1,859 career assists, highlighted by a career-high 712 assists this season.