ANNVILLE, Pa. – In the final game ever in Lynch Gymnasium for any sport, sophomore Lexi Horstman (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) tied a match-high with 15 kills and junior Amanda Bahn (York, Pa./Spring Grove) tallied 14 kills and 16 digs and Lebanon Valley all but shored up a berth in the upcoming Commonwealth Conference playoffs with a big 3-1 victory over Moravian College during Senior Night on Tuesday evening.
Lebanon Valley, now 16-7 overall, pushed its Commonwealth record to 4-1 with two conference matches remaining on its schedule. The Flying Dutchmen moved into sole possession of second place in the conference standings with the win, and should the team hold onto that spot it would host a Commonwealth Conference semifinal match on Nov. 5 in the new LVC Gymnasium.
The win was the Valley's fifth straight win and the seventh in its last eight matches. The team went 9-1 in Lynch this season.
Moravian (17-6, 3-2 CC) was led by sophomore Lindsey Siracusa, who tied Horstman with a match-high 15 kills.
LVC claimed Game One by a count of 30-24. The Dutchmen trailed 19-18 before a 9-2 Valley run put the game away. Moravian answered with a 30-23 victory in the second set. The Greyhounds never trailed after a 9-0 run midway through game.
Game Three was nip-and-tuck affair in which neither side led by more than four. The match was tied 10 times, and the score was deadlocked at 27 before LVC scored three of the final four points for a 30-28 win.
A late surge vaulted the Valley to victory in the fourth game. LVC trailed by three (20-17) but after head coach Wayne Perry called a timeout, the team rallied with a 5-1 run. The Dutchmen led just 23-22 late in the game, but finished off the Greyhounds by closing the match on a 7-1 spurt.
Senior Sherri Pursel (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) also had a big match for the Valley, as she recorded 10 kills and 17 digs. Sophomore Katie Ferree (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro) 21 digs and classmate Cat Roth (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) distributed 47 assists.
Lynch Gymnasium served as the LVC volleyball team's home court for the program's entire 18-year history. Opened in 1950, it was also the home facility for Lebanon Valley's men's and women's basketball teams for the past 53 years.
Lebanon Valley returns to action on Saturday when it takes on Lycoming College and Pitt-Johnstown at Lycoming.
[Photo - Sophomore Lexi Horstman, who tied a match-high with 15 kills against Moravian]
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