ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley volleyball squad will compete for a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom title this week as the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The Dutchmen will take on top-seeded Misericordia University on Wednesday in the Semifinals.
 
LVC qualified for the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive year and all three seasons as members of the MAC Freedom. The Dutchmen were also the fourth seed last year, dropping a close and hard-fought 3-1 decision at Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinals. This season, the Dutchmen have a 12-14 overall record and a 4-3 mark in conference play. LVC and Misericorda will meet in a rematch of last Wednesday's final regular-season match at Sorrentino Gymnasium that the Cougars won 3-1 after the Dutchmen took the first set in a closely played match. Misericordia will have home court advantage on Wednesday with the first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Anderson Center in Dallas. Second-seeded Stevens and third-seeded DeSales University will meet in Hoboken, New Jersey, at 7:30 p.m. in the other semifinal pairing. The winners will meet on Saturday at the site of the highest remaining team.
 
There is an admission cost for all conference tournament games. Prices are set by the conference office and are $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors (65+) and youth (7-17). MAC students with an ID and children six and under with an adult are free.
 
The Dutchmen have played extremely well over the past month, going 7-3 since Oct. 1, which includes big non-conference wins over Eastern University and Stevenson University, the top two teams in the MAC Commonwealth. LVC has taken advantage of a strong non-conference schedule by finishing third in the MAC Freedom in points, hitting percentage, kills, and service aces during conference matches.
 
Mattea Penner leads the team in points with 367 on 314 kills, 21 assists, 39 aces, 22 blocks, and 266 digs. Jillian Jefferys has been a good complement on the opposite side with 210.5 points on 183 kills, one assist, 50 blocks, and 21 digs. Teaguen Reynolds is a force to reckon with in the middle, posting 155 points on 95 kills, 27 aces, four assists, 57 blocks, and 37 digs. Margaret Cole has recorded 106 points on 76 kills, four assists, 53 blocks, and 13 digs.
 
Sofia Okronley, Jasmine Sullivan, and Sofia Rios have split setting duties throughout the year, with all three putting up impressive numbers. Okronley has seen the most action with 461 assists and 31.5 points on six kills, 23 aces, five blocks, and 148 digs. Sullivan has 303 assists and 50 points on 15 kills, 27 aces, 15 blocks, and 76 digs. Rios has seen a lot of action recently and has played well with 116 assists and 32 points on 11 kills, 21 aces, and 73 digs. Kylie Nagle has led the back line effort as the libero with 261 digs. Offensively, she has added 31 points on five kills, 26 aces, and 62 assists.
 
Riley Mack has given the Dutchmen 147 points of offense on 134 kills, seven aces, three assists, 11 blocks, and 67 digs. Brooke Olejniczak and Casey Levan have worked their way into the rotation recently and played in all nine sets the past two matches. Olejniczak has 36.5 points on the season with 34 kills, three blocks, and 12 digs. Levan has 23 points on eight kills, 14 aces, three assists, two blocks, and 60 digs.
 
LVC has received significant contributions from Libby Lindau and Lyla Arfanella throughout the season. Lindau is third on the team in points with 199.5 on 169 kills, four assists, one ace, 50 blocks, and 31 digs. Arfanella is third on the team in digs with 209 and has 23 points on five kills, 18 aces, and 18 assists. Laylah Chestnut and Breanne Rotz have also seen action for the Dutchmen this season. Chestnut has four points on one assist, four aces, and seven digs in 13 sets, while Rotz has played 12 sets and has 13 points on eight kills, nine blocks, and one dig.
 
Stevens has won the past five conference titles and has beaten a different team in the final each year. LVC is looking for the program's first conference championship since 2011 and is looking to reach the final for the second time in three years. The Ducks defeated DeSales 3-0 back on Oct. 14 in Center Valley and defeated the Dutchmen 3-1 in a close match in Annville on Sept. 30. Misericordia defeated Stevens 3-0 with all three sets being close in the conference opener on Sept. 24 in Dallas. LVC dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to DeSales on Oct. 22.

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