GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team recorded its third-straight victory Wednesday when they downed host Thiel College in four sets in a Presidents' Athletic Conference match in Mercer County.

The win improved the Presidents to 4-1 in the conference and 11-10 overall. The loss drops the Tomcats to 0-5 in the league and 2-18 overall.

Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa./South Park) finished with team highs in kills (15) and digs (25). Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks) tallied 12 saves while compiling a strong .417 hitting percentage. Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) reached double figures with 10 kills.

Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio/Benjamin Logan) recorded a team-high 30 assists while adding 13 digs. Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) tallied 19 assists and 11 digs.

Defensively, Bella Anzevino (Brunswick, Ohio / Buckeye) had 22 digs and a team-high four service aces. Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa. / Cornerstone Preparatory Academy) chipped in 19 digs.

The Presidents overcame a loss in a wild first set to respond with three-straight set victories. W&J dropped the first set by a 40-38 margin. The Presidents won 25-20, 25-20 and 25-18 over the next three sets to secure the victory.

A slow start by W&J allowed Thiel to build an early 10-4 advantage. The Red and Black responded with six-consecutive points to even the score. Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) capped the run with a kill. The two teams began trading runs before the score eventually evened at 21 all. A spurt by W&J gave the Presidents set point at 24-22. However, the Tomcats responded with two-straight points and chaos ensued. W&J had eight set points while Thiel eventually closed the set out on its ninth chance at set point. The first set saw a combined 78 points. The NCAA record for points in a set is 90, which has happened twice in NCAA history in the 25-point era. The most recent 90-point set was between Washington State and Washington in 2021. 

The Red and Black methodically built a lead throughout the second set. Five-straight points strengthened the lead to an 18-12 margin. Consecutive kills by Fetsko capped the run. The Tomcats cut the deficit to as few as three points late in the set but could get no closer.

W&J faced a narrow 17-16 deficit in the third set. The Presidents pushed ahead for good with four-straight points. Kills by Little and Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio / Holy Name) helped the Red and Black finish off the 25-20 win in the third.

An 8-2 run midway through the fourth helped the Presidents gain control for good. Three consecutive Thiel attack errors strengthened the Presidents' lead to 20-13. W&J tacked on four of the final five points to finish off the victory.

The Presidents welcome Geneva College to Salvitti Family Gymnasium on Saturday, Oct. 21. The match will serve as Senior Day for Carmichael. Start time is scheduled for 11 a.m. for the PAC match.