ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley Volleyball team used a strong team effort to sweep visiting FDU-Florham 3-0 in the first home Middle Atlantic Conference match of the year. The Dutchmen improve to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play while the Devils fall to 8-8 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
LVC got off to a slow start but came on strong to win the first set 25-18. The momentum continued into the second set for a big 25-14 set win. The Devils fought valiantly in the third set, but the Dutchmen were able to pull away for a 25-18 set win to end the match.
The Devils scored the first three points of the match before LVC used a 5-1 run to take the lead at 5-4. FDU-Florham responded with a small run of their own to retake the lead 9-6.
Mattea Penner had a kill and then
Teaguen Reynolds served up three consecutive aces to put LVC up by one. The Dutchmen still led by one when they used a strong four-point run to open up a big lead.
Margaret Cole started the run with a kill, Penner had a pair of aces, and
Taylor McInerney added a kill to make it a 17-12 advantage. The Devils cut it to 20-16 before a kill by
Jillian Jefferys, back-to-back aces from
Lyla Arfanella, and an attack error put the Dutchmen at set point. Jefferys ended the set with her third kill. Reynolds led the squad with three of the team's seven aces in the set while McInerney had three kills. The Dutchmen hit .367 in the set, their best set percentage of the match.
LVC won five of the first seven points in the second set as McInerney had a pair of kills and Arfanella recorded her third ace of the match. The Dutchmen extended the lead to 11-3 with a big rally that was sandwiched by a pair of kills by Jefferys. The Devils slowly chipped into the lead and was able to cut it down to 15-12. The Dutchmen responded with a big 8-1 run to put the set out of reach. Penner had three kills during the run. Arfanella recorded a kill and then
Sofia Okronley served up the team's fourth ace of the set to put the Dutchmen up 2-0. Penner and McInerney led the team in kills during the set with four each. The Dutchmen used strong play at the net with three total blocks.
Penner began the third set with a strong serve that got LVC out to a 3-0 advantage. Cole and
Libby Lindau blocked the first attack by the Devils and then McInerney and Lindau recorded kills off assists by Okronley. FDU won three of the next five points to cut it to a two-point advantage before Reynolds and Lindau had another block assist. The Devils tied the set up at six with the next three points and took their first lead of the set at 9-8. LVC countered with a quick 7-2 run to retake the lead at 15-11. Lindau and McInerney had a pair of kills during the run while Cole added another block. The lead blossomed to 21-15 after a beautiful setter dump by
Jasmine Sullivan after back-to-back kills from Penner. The Devils had a pair of service errors and Lindau had two kills to finish off the set. Lindau had a big third set with six kills and two block assists.
Inside the Box
- Nine different Dutchmen recorded a kill. McInerney led the way with 11 on 24 attacks.
- Penner had eight kills, two aces, and six digs.
- Lindau finished with eight kills and two block assists.
- Jefferys added five kills and a block assist.
- Sullivan had 19 assists, a service ace, and four digs.
- Okronley also had a strong night as the setter with 14 assists, an ace, and eight digs.
- Abigail Souder led the team with 10 digs and an ace.
- Reynolds had five of the team's 13 aces and two block assists.
- Arfanella added three aces and 10 digs.
- Cole had four total blocks including two solo blocks.
- The 13 aces were the third-most in a match this year for LVC.
Up Next
The Dutchmen will head to Maryland on Saturday for a tri-match at Stevenson University. LVC will face the host Mustangs at 2 p.m. in the first match of the afternoon and then will take on Drew University following the match with Stevenson.
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