ANNVILLE, Pa. – In one of the most evenly matched and well-contested 3-0 sweeps you're bound to see, Lebanon Valley bested Commonwealth Conference rival Messiah by set scores of 25-23, 25-22, and 25-21 at Sorrentino Gymnasium on Wednesday night, Oct. 22.  With the victory, the Flying Dutchmen claimed sole possession of second place in the league's standings and clinched a berth in the conference's postseason tournament.

"Congratulations have to be expressed to both teams in a match like that," said LVC head coach Wayne Perry following his squad's impressive victory.  "Just a great all-around effort from both teams."

In a match that saw Lebanon Valley lead by no more than six points at any time throughout the night, the home team was able to convert crucial points down the stretch of each set while holding off late Falcon charges in the process.

Set one saw the teams trade leads four times in the early going with Lebanon Valley able to create slight separation late thanks to a 24-20 advantage.  The Falcons reeled off three straight points to cut the deficit to one before senior captain Kayla Confer hammered home the deciding point off an assist from fellow senior captain Kacey Musselman.

The Dutchmen jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the second set but Messiah methodically battled back and kept the score close until drawing even with LVC at 20-20.  Confer and junior Emily Sides answered the call with crucial kills before sophomore Greta Weidemoyer converted two-straight to take the set and give Lebanon Valley a two-game cushion.

After another back-and-forth start to the final set, Messiah showed no quit and grabbed a 9-7 lead midway through the game.  From there, the Dutchmen went on a momentum swinging 10-3 run that the Falcons slowed with a timeout.  Trailing 18-12, the visitors clawed back and cut the deficit to 22-21 in crunch time but a Weidemoyer kill and consecutive Falcon attack errors gave LVC the thrilling victory.

Perry was especially impressed by both team's side-out ability, particularly during the entirety of the second set.  He noted it was evident that both squads came ready to play on this night but his team's ability to come through when it mattered most proved to be the difference.

Confer and Weidemoyer accounted for 23 of the Dutchmen's 41 total kills with Confer recording a team-high 12 and Weidemoyer tallying 11.  Junior Alli Quirk, Sides, and Musselman added five apiece.

Sides and junior libero Allie Garrett led the way defensively with a team-high 13 digs apiece.  Musselman dug out nine Messiah attempts to go along with her 31 assists.  Confer, Musselman, and freshman Nina Mentzer each added a solo block while Weidemoyer and Mentzer combined for another stop at the net.

The hard-fought victory improved Lebanon Valley to 21-5 on the season and 5-1 in Commonwealth play.  With a conference tourney spot now clinched, the Dutchmen can assure themselves of hosting a playoff game with a victory in one of their final two league matches.  Before they take a shot at Widener next week, LVC will take part in Dickinson's Tri-Meet this Saturday, Oct. 25.  The Dutchmen take on Ursinus at 3 p.m. before facing off with the hosts at 5 p.m.