THE FACTS
Gettysburg (6-0) 3, Lynchburg (4-3) 2
Gettysburg (6-0) 3, Mary Washington (5-4) 0
What: Non-conference volleyball trimatch
When: Saturday, Sept. 7
Where: Fredericksburg, Va.
THE SKINNY STORY
Gettysburg found itself trailing two sets to one in the opening match against Lynchburg but then easily won the fourth set before capturing a close fifth set and then sweeping Mary Washington to remain undefeated on the young season.
THE LEADERS
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Erin Gonzalez (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) and
Ione Pedersen (Avon, Colo./Eagle Valley) led the Bullets on the day. Gonzalez had 23 kills against just three errors, hitting .323 on the day. She also had six aces. Pedersen added 21 kills in the eight sets.
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Alycen Radolovic (Willoughby, Ohio/Beaumont School) paced the way against Lynchburg with 13 kills while Gonzalez and Pedersen had 11 each.
• Gonzalez led the way against Mary Washington with 12 kills while Radolovic had 11 and Pedersen chipped in 10.
FOR THE FOES
• Tori Williamson led the Hornets with 13 kills and 10 digs.
• Libby Porter led the Eagles with 11 kills.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• In the opening set against Lynchburg, Gettysburg ran out to a 3-0 lead before the Hornets scored the next three to draw even. Three straight
Alycen Radolovic kills keyed a run of six straight Bullet points to make it 9-3 and Lynchburg got no closer in a 25-15 Gettysburg win.
• Jaina Leek started the second set with a ace for the Hornets, igniting a 4-1 start. Two Kailey Keough aces were a big part of a 6-0 Lynchburg run that extended the lead to 14-6. Gettysburg closed back to within 14-11 before an
Ione Pedersen kill knotted the set at 20-all.
Erin Gonzalez followed with a kill for a 21-20 edge but the Hornets tallied five of the final seven points for a 25-23 win.
• Tied at 2-all in the third set, a pair of Morgan Clarke aces fueled a run of five straight points for a 7-2 advantage. Another 5-0 Hornets run opened up a 12-5 lead en route to a 25-14 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
• Gettysburg opened the fourth set with four straight points that included a pair of Gonzalez aces. Back-to-back kills from Gonzalez stretched the lead to 11-3 en route to a 25-10 victory that forced a deciding set.
• The fifth set featured six ties and three lead changes in the early going. Trailing 8-7,
Mary Huegel (Marlboro, N.J./Colts Neck) put down a kill to tie the score at 8-all. She then joined
Catherine Holtz (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) for a block that gave Gettysburg the lead for good. Clinging to a 13-12 lead,
Gianna Galli (Demarest, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest) put down a kill for match point and then an attacking error made it a 15-12 final.
• Against Mary Washington, the Bullets opened the match with a 3-1 lead before the Eagles countered with an 8-1 run to take a 9-4 lead in the set. A Chloe Crosen kill gave the hosts a 16-10 lead and forced a Gettysburg timeout. Out of the stoppage, Holtz put down a kill but back-to-back errors stretched the Mary Washington lead to 18-11. Pedersen, however, knocked down a kill to start a 6-0 run that closed the deficit to 18-17. After the team's traded errors, a Huegel knockdown tied the set at 19-all before an error and Pedersen kill gave the Bullets a 21-19 edge. Gonzalez and Holtz each had kills down the stretch to wrap up a 25-20 win.
• The second set was back-and-forth the whole way. A Sydney Aiken ace opened up a 7-4 lead for Mary Washington. The lead remained between one and three points until Radolovic had a kill to tie the set at 12-all. The teams traded points until the Eagles were once again able to open up a three-point edge at 20-17. Gonzalez and Pedersen went back-to-back knockdowns and Huegel added a block to tie the score once again at 20-all. Tied at 27-all, a Gonzalez kill and Mary Washington attempt off the antennae gave the Bullets a 29-27 win and 2-0 lead in the match.
• A pair of Lauren Foley aces staked the Eagles to a 2-0 lead in the third set but Gettysburg scored the next 10, including two on Gonzalez aces to take a 10-2 advantage. The lead swelled to 19-10 on consecutive kills from Gonzalez and Huegel before Mary Washington tried to rally. A Libby Potter kill closed the margin to 21-18 but the Bullets reeled off three of the next four points to reach match point before holding on for a 25-22 victory.
THE INSIDE STORY
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Nala Shearer (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County) established a career high with 23 digs in the opening five-set match. She then made it a pair of 20-dig performances with 20 against Mary Washington.
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Catherine Holtz had seven kills, six digs and a block against the Hornets before contributing nine kills with one error on just 19 swings (.421 hitting) to go with a pair of blocks against the Eagles.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action at Penn State-Harrisburg on Wednesday. Match time is 7 p.m.
