WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory over Thiel College Wednesday evening in a Presidents' Athletic Conference match at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. The Presidents clinched a spot in the upcoming PAC Tournament with the win. 

The victory was the fourth straight for W&J. The Presidents are 6-4 overall and 5-3 in PAC play. The loss drops Thiel to 2-7 overall and 2-6 in league matches. 

W&J won the first two sets by 25-20 scores to take a 2-0 edge. The Tomcats picked up a 25-18 victory in the third set to keep their hopes for victory alive. The Presidents were forced to battle back in the fourth set, as the home team trailed by as many as six points (15-9). W&J rattled off five straight points, three of which came off of successful swings by Claire Sauerland (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area). Consecutive kills by Samantha Sonnet (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) gave W&J a 20-19 lead. The Tomcats eventually evened the score at 23-23. However, W&J recorded the final two points, including a kill by Alexis Tomassini (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) that ended the match. 

Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) paced the offense for W&J, as the freshman registered a match-high 12 kills and added four total blocks.Tomassini produced 35 assists and 15 digs in a solid all-around effort. 

The Presidents finished with season-high 107 digs as a team. FIve Presidents recorded at least 14 digs. Leading the way was senior libero Katie Conner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) with a match-high 28 digs. Sophia Sacriponte (Butler, Pa./Butler) registered 26 digs and four total blocks. Sauerland had 16 digs while Madison Simpson (Washington, Pa./Chartiers Houston) added 14 digs. 

W&J wraps up its regular season with a road match at Chatham on Wednesday, April 7. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m.