TIFFIN, Ohio – The Allegheny volleyball team opened up play at the 2026 Great Lakes Crossover Friday (Sept. 4) against Kenyon and Heidelberg.
The Gators defeated Kenyon in five sets before falling to Heidelberg in three sets.
Allegheny 3, Kenyon 2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12)
After going back-and-forth to start the match, the Owls put together a 6-0 run to take a 12-6 lead in the opening set. The Gators battled back, going on a 9-1 run to move ahead, 15-13. The back-and-forth continued as the teams were tied at 22. The Gators earned a set point following a block by
Carlee Pepperman (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte Area) and
Skyler Fatola (Queen Creek, Ariz./Eastmark). The Owls stopped one set point before Fatola ended the set with a kill, giving the Gators a 25-23 set victory.
The Gators held an early lead in set two, but the Owls fought back to take a late lead. After exchanging points, Kenyon ended the set on a 4-1 run to tie up the match.
The sides were tied at 11 in the third set before the Gators rattled off four straight points. They were able to maintain their lead the rest of the way as a kill by
Marissa Rish (Burton, Ohio/Berkshire) capped off a 25-20 third set win.
The teams exchanged runs throughout the fourth set as they found themselves deadlocked at 23 late. The Owls were able to win the final two points, setting up a deciding fifth set.
Knotted at three in the final set, the Owls went on a 4-1 run, leading to an Allegheny timeout. Following the timeout, the Gators chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying it back up at 11. A kill by Fatola put Allegheny in front 13-12 before Kenyon called a timeout. The timeout failed to stop the Gator momentum as an attack error followed by a Rish kill gave the Gators the decisive set win, 15-12.
Inside the Box
- Rish nearly put together her second triple-double of the year, finishing with a team-high 14 kills, 22 assists, nine digs and two aces.
- Jillian Smetana (Chardon, Ohio/Berkshire) was second on the team with 13 kills.
- Pepperman also had a double-double, tallying 11 kills and 15 digs.
- Fatola had nine kills and four total blocks.
- Carly Beers (Warren, Pa./Warren) also had nine kills.
- Duru Akbas (Ankara, Turkey/Layton Christian Academy (Utah)) led the team with 23 digs and four aces.
- Joanna Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) had 24 assists, seven digs and three aces.
Heidelberg 3, Allegheny 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-16)
The Gators led 4-1 in the opening set before the Student Princes went on a big run to take control. Allegheny battled back with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to three. The Gators continued to chip away, pulling within one point at 21-20. However, Heidelberg finished on a 4-0 run to take the opening set.
In the second set, Heidelberg went on an 8-0 run midway through to take control before winning the set 25-20.
The Student Princes took an early lead in set three. They were able to hold it throughout the duration of the set as they won the match in straight sets.
Inside the Box
- Kendall Brunn (Campbell, Ohio/Northeast Ohio Impact Academy) led the team with seven kills and four blocks.
- Reilly Mendez (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos) added six kills.
- Rish had five kills, 12 assists and eight digs.
- Akbas finished with mine digs
- Pepperman had six digs and three aces.
News and Notes
- Allegheny is now 35-22 all-time against Kenyon and 9-4 against Heidelberg.
Up Next
The Gators conclude competition at the Great Lakes Crossover Saturday (Sept. 5) against Baldwin Wallace and Kalamazoo.
