FREDERICK, Md. ­­– The Lebanon Valley College volleyball team picked up a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon, defeating Lancaster Bible College 3-1 and Hood College by a score of 3-0 at the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center on Hood's campus.

Match 1 vs. Lancaster Bible College
Lebanon Valley (7-4, 1-0 MAC Freedom) defeated Lancaster Bible (7-5) in four sets during its first match of the day. The Chargers took the first set 25-22, but the Dutchmen then went on to win the next three by scores of 26-24, 25-20 and 25-19. Senior outside hitter Taylor McInerney was a key contributor to the victory, recording 26 kills. 

The teams went back-and-forth during the first set, trading the lead five times. The Flying Dutchmen went on a big 5-0 run during the set, taking a 16-12 advantage. The team went ahead on two kills by McInerney, a kill by senior outside hitter Kelli Heffer, an ace by senior Robyn Stepler and a service error. The Chargers later tied the set at 19-all and went on to win it 25-22.

Lebanon Valley got its offense rolling at the start of the second set, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead. The team took an early advantage on two kills by McInerney, a kill by sophomore outside hitter Mattea Penner, an ace by sophomore Devyn Kelley and two attack errors. But Lancaster Bible came back and took a 24-23 lead late in the set, before LVC recorded three straight points to win 26-24. A pair of kills by McInerney and an attack error tied the match at 1-1.

The third set began with the programs exchanging four-point runs, making it 4-4 early. The Flying Dutchmen responded with another four-point stretch, taking an 8-4 lead on a kill by McInerney, two attack errors and a service error. The Chargers tied the set late once again, advancing the score to 20-20. Lebanon Valley then delivered five straight points to win the set 25-20, due to a run that included two aces by first-year middle blocker Teaguen Reynolds. 

LVC and Lancaster Bible swapped points at the beginning of the fourth set, making it 6-6 early on. The Dutchmen then went on a five-point run to take an 11-6 advantage, courtesy of two service aces by junior Abigail Souder, two attack errors and a service error. The Chargers attempted to get back into it, but Lebanon Valley preserved its lead until it secured the 25-19 victory in the set and the 3-1 win in the match. 

Inside the Box Score:

• McInerney led the Flying Dutchmen with 26 kills. 
• Stepler and first-year outside hitter Lyla Arfanella each tallied three aces, leading LVC.
• Lebanon Valley out-blocked Lancaster Bible 11 to eight. 
• Stepler and Reynolds led the team with six blocks each.
• Stepler dished out 36 assists. 
• Senior libero Kasey Thomas led Lebanon Valley with 19 digs. 

Match 2 vs. Hood College 
Lebanon Valley (8-4, 1-0 MAC Freedom) dominated in its second match of the day, defeating Hood (4-10, 0-1 MAC Commonwealth) in three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-10 and 25-18. McInerney delivered another impressive performance, recording 20 kills on offense. Thomas also made an impact for the team, registering 12 digs and five service aces during the win. 

The Dutchmen didn't waste any time getting the offense going in set one, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead after five consecutive kills by McInerney. The Blazers later came back to even the set at 12-12, but Lebanon Valley tallied seven points in a row to take a 19-12 advantage. This dominant stretch was the result of a kill by McInerney, three aces by Thomas, a bad set and two attack errors. LVC ultimately preserved this lead and went on to take the set 25-20.

Lebanon Valley and Hood kept the score close at the beginning of the second set, as the Dutchmen led just 6-5. The squad then went on a 5-0 run to take an 11-5 advantage against the Blazers. The Dutchmen took the lead on an ace by first-year defensive specialist Peyton Fischer, three attack errors and a service error. LVC was dominant during the remainder of the set, delivering an 11-1 stretch to close out the second 25-10.

The Flying Dutchmen set the tone early in the third set, opening the scoring by taking an early 4-0 advantage. The team went ahead because of two service aces by Souder and kills by Penner and McInerney. Lebanon Valley led throughout the entire set, but Hood narrowed the program's lead to 17-13. The Dutchmen responded with three kills by McInerney and an attack error to make it a 21-13 set. The Blazers attempted to even the score until the final point, but LVC ended up taking the set 25-18 and winning the match 3-0. 

Inside the Box Score:

• Lebanon Valley has won five consecutive matches. 
• McInerney led the team with 20 kills. 
• The Flying Dutchmen tallied 38 kills, while Hood had 13. 
• Thomas led the team with 12 digs and five aces. 
• Stepler had the most assists on the team, registering 34. 
• Senior middle hitter Olivia Nace led the program with three blocks. 

Up Next
The Flying Dutchmen will return to action at 7 p.m. Sept. 26, as the program will travel to take on King's College (Pa.) at McGrane Gymnasium in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 

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