LEXINGTON, Va. – Gettysburg lost its opening match 3-2 to Virginia Wesleyan College, but responded with a 3-2 victory over host Washington & Lee University in a pair of non-conference volleyball matches Saturday afternoon.

The Bullets (10-5) built a 2-1 lead against Virginia Wesleyan only to see the Marlins rally. Gettysburg won the opening set 26-24 before VWC pulled even with a 25-23 win. The Bullets pulled ahead by claiming the third game 25-16, but the Marlins put the match away with scores of 25-23 and 15-9 in the final two sets.

Senior Kristina Mercier (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) led the Bullets in the opener, pounding 22 kills. Sophomore Katie McConville (Coldspring, N.Y./Haldane) added eight kills while classmate Virginia Hogan (Alpharetta, Ga./Chattahoochwee) notched seven. Senior Kristin Kotewicz (Columbia, Md./River Hill) scooped 19 digs while senior Amanda Krampf (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) distributed 42 assists.

Against Washington & Lee, the Generals took a 1-0 lead by winning the opener 25-19. The Bullets tied it up with a 25-19 win, but W&L rallied with a 25-22 victory. Gettysburg then claimed a pair of close decisions, winning 25-21 in the fourth and 15-13 in the deciding game.

Mercier had another big match against the W&L, tallying 10 kills and 15 digs. Hogan threw down eight kills while McConnville added six. Kotewicz posted 24 digs, and Krampf handed out 21 assists. Sophomore Rebecca Rubenstein (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) recorded 11 assists and 16 digs.

The Bullets return to action next Saturday, when they host No. 22 Haverford College at 11 a.m. in a rematch of last season's Centennial Conference championship before taking on the University of Scranton at 3 p.m. in a non-conference outing.