WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team suffered a tough 3-2 setback to visiting Westminster College in a five-set thriller at the Henry Memorial Center Thursday evening.
W&J opened the night with consecutive set wins, as the Red and Black claimed the first set 25-19 before taking he second set by a 25-21 score. With the score tied at 16-16 in the opening set, the Presidents closed with nine of the final 12 points. W&J pulled away late in the second set with consecutive kills by junior outside hitter
Haley Nelson (Warren, Pa./Warren) to clinch the set victory.
Westminster responded by pulling away in the third set for a 25-21 victory. The Titans then outlasted the Presidents in the fourth set, as the visitors tallied the final two points in a 25-23 decision. Things started well for the Presidents in the decisive fifth set, as the Red and Black built a 5-2 lead after a kill by freshman middle hitter
Kyleigh Jester (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley). However, the Titans took control with an 11-0 run and 13 of the final 15 points.
Senior libero
Makenzie Coughlin (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) put together a stellar defensive night, racking up a career-high 55 digs, which ranks as the most by a player at any level of the NCAA this fall. The 55 digs are the most by a W&J player in a single match in school history and ties for the ninth most by a Division III player in NCAA history.
Nelson collected both a career-high and match-best 23 kills. The 23 kills is the most by a PAC player this season. Senior outside hitter
Julia Galbraith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) chipped in 27 digs and eight kills, while senior setter
Mallory O'Brien (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) dished out 28 assists. Sophomore
Alexis Tomassini (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) added 16 assists and 12 digs in the loss.
W&J drops to 2-4 in PAC play while Westminster improves to 4-0 in the league.
The Presidents travel to Thiel College for a conference tri-match on Saturday, Oct. 5. W&J faces host the Tomcats at 12 p.m. before taking on Saint Vincent at 2 p.m.