Adrian Box Score
Geneva Box Score

ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Gettysburg College volleyball team opened its 2007 season with a split at the Purple Raider Invitational hosted by Mount Union College on Friday, Aug. 31. The Bullets dropped their first contest of the day to Adrian College 3-1 (30-23, 26-30, 30-25, 30-26) before bouncing back with a victory by the same score over Geneva College (30-26, 30-24, 27-30, 30-26).

In the opener, senior Lauren Thul (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) did all she could to stave off the loss, knocking down 12 kills, putting up 15 digs, and blocking three kill attempts. Senior Katie Heffner (Easton, Pa./Easton) and sophomore Molly Barrett (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) each managed seven kills, the latter doing so on just 14 attempts (.357 hitting percentage).
Sophomore Kristin Kotewicz (Columbia, Md./River Hill) led the defensive effort from the back row with 17 digs, while Mekenna Sigai (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep.) contributed 14 digs. Sophomore Kristina Mercier (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) led the net defenders with five solo blocks to go along with five kills. Sophomore setter Amanda Krampf (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) paced the offense with 30 assists in addition to contributing five service aces and 16 digs.

Gettysburg reversed its fortunes in game two against Geneva (0-2), connecting on double-digit kill totals in each game, including 21 in the second frame alone. Mercier provided the spark on offense and defense, lighting the net for a career-high 17 kills, while posting 26 digs – nearly triple her previous career high. The Bullets also received some fine play from freshman middle hitter Kate Yoder (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) who knocked down 13 of her 22 kills attempts (.455 kill percentage) and assisted on two blocks.

Thul was in the mix with seven kills and six digs, while Barrett and Heffner added eight and six kills, respectively. The back row was a nemesis to the Golden Tornado attackers as four Gettysburg defenders tallied 16 or more kills. Besides Mercier, the Bullets received strong defensive stands from Kotewicz (21 digs) and Krampf (22 digs), with the latter also contributing 37 assists and four more aces. Sophomore Stephanie Rickabaugh (Wester Chester, Pa./Henderson) posted 16 digs and three total blocks.

With one day of round-robin play in the books, Gettysburg will aim to take care of business against its final pool-play opponent, John Carroll University (1-0), on Saturday, Sept. 1, at 11 a.m. Depending on the outcome of that match, the Bullets will again take the court at either 1:30 or 3:30 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.