MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny volleyball team collected a pair of nonconference wins against Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opponents Friday (Sept. 13) on day one of the Allegheny Invitational.
 
The Gators swept Thiel before defeating Washington and Jefferson in four sets.
 
Game One - Allegheny 3, Thiel 0 (25-17, 33-31, 25-16)
 
The Gators jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set against the Tomcats. The lead grew to as much as eight in the frame. Thiel went on a run midway through, cutting the lead to 17-16. However, the Gators answered with a 4-0 run en route to a 25-17 win.
 
Thiel had the early lead in set two. Allegheny tied it up multiple times before a 3-0 run gave them a 16-14 advantage. The teams continued to battle, exchanging leads down to the wire. Tied at 31, a pair of aces by Meagan Robare (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) gave the Gators a marathon 33-31 win.
 
The back-and-forth continued into the third set until a 4-0 Gator run gave them a 13-9 advantage. That run propelled the Gators the rest of the way as they captured the match with a 25-16 set win.
 
Inside the Box

• Angelee Bawek (Goodyear, Ariz./Estrella Foothills) had 13 kills to lead the team.
• Dagney Javes (Frederick, Colo./Dawson School) finished with 12 kills.
• Sydney Kirk (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle Catholic) and Carlee Pepperman (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area) had eight kills apiece. Pepperman also had 11 digs.
• Robare had 20 assists while Izzy Gray (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) had 18.
• Jacy Diaz (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico/Gallatin (Tenn.)) had a team-high 28 digs.
• Alejandra Fernandez (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Commonwealth Parkville) tallied 11 digs. 

Game Two - Allegheny 3, W&J 1 (25-20, 17-25, 25-21, 25-23)
 
The Gators got out to another fast start, taking a 5-1 lead in the first set. The set remained close but the Gators held the advantage throughout as they won the set 25-20.
 
The Presidents gained an advantage in the second set. The Gators pulled within a couple points but a late run by Washington and Jefferson gave them a 25-17 win.
 
Allegheny fell behind early in the third set, but came back to tie it at 14. After three straight points by the Presidents, the Gators answered with a 5-0 run to take the lead, 19-17. That run led to the Gators capturing the set, 25-21, and moving ahead in the match 2-1.
 
Once again, the Presidents led early in the fourth before a run by the Gators tied it at 11 apiece. The teams would then exchange points back-and-forth before Allegheny rattled off five straight points, three of which were aces by Diaz, as they moved ahead 18-15. Washington and Jefferson tied it late in the set. Knotted at 23 points, a kill by Kirk gave the Gators a match point. A kill by Bawek on that point gave the Gators the four-set win.
 
Inside the Box

• Javes led the team with 15 kills.
• Pepperman tallied 13 kills with nine digs.
• Bawek also finished in double digits with 12 kills.
• Kirk ended the match with seven kills and three total blocks.
• Robare had a career-high 41 assists while also digging ten balls.
• Diaz led Allegheny with 30 digs.
• Fernandez had a career-high 23 digs.

News and Notes

• Allegheny moves to 7-3 on the season.
• The Gators are now 28-8 all-time against the Tomcats and 9-7 all-time against the Presidents.
• Robare had a career-high 41 assists against W&J.
• Fernandez produced a career-high 23 digs against W&J. 

Up Next
The Gators conclude their invitational Saturday (Sept. 14) against Fredonia and Houghton.