Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Joelle Snyder had 18 kills and Brandi Roth served out the final 13 points of the match as Lebanon Valley College advanced to its second straight Commonwealth Conference championship game with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-11, 25-10) win over Messiah College Wednesday night.

The Dutchmen (32-2) won their 21st straight match as they hit .356 over the final two sets after a marathon first set. LVC will now host the championship match for the first time, taking on Elizabethtown College, a 3-2 winner over Widener, Saturday at 6 p.m.

LVC has never won a conference title; the winner of the match will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Snyder hit a blistering .515 for the match as she racked up 18 kills and one error on 33 attempts to go with a solo and two assist blocks. Roth, meanwhile, had a match-high 19 digs as she keyed a 13-0 LVC run to end the third set.

Erin Yost had 28 setting assists, while Michelle Little added six kills. Leslie Heffner led Messiah with 10 kills as the Falcons hit a dismal -.044.

In the first set, LVC kept a margin and pulled out to a 20-12 lead before Messiah cut it to 22-18 to induce a Dutchman timeout. Out of the talk, LVC was whistled for a ball-handling error, and Lauren Bourdon's kill and a big block tied the set at 22. A big swing by Emily Hopkins retook the lead, but Messiah answered with another kill and Emily Hall's solo block to go up 24-23.

LVC roared out with Little's tip to force extra points, and Heffner's attack error and Snyder's kill saved the set at 26-24.

The second set, however, wasn't nearly as close. The Dutchmen never trailed as they opened up a huge lead and ran away with a 25-11 win.

LVC pulled away in a big way in the third set after falling in an early 4-0 hole. The set was close at 12-10 before Roth took the serve and never gave it up, serving 13 straight points to end the match as Messiah hit .000 in the final set.