LATROBE, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team rallied back from an early hole to record victory in a five-set thriller over Saint Vincent in Division III volleyball action at the Robert S. Carey Center Wednesday evening.
The win improves the Presidents to 3-5 overall while Saint Vincent drops to 2-3 in 2023. The match was a non-conference tilt between the two Presidents' Athletic Conference rivals.
Saint Vincent opened the evening with a 25-21 victory in set one before tacking on a 25-22 victory in set two. Entering the third set, Saint Vincent was looking to finish off the sweep.
The Bearcats eased out to an early lead with five of the five six points of the third. The Presidents countered with a sizable run to take an 11-7 advantage. W&J stretched the lead to 16-10 when
Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) tallied a service ace. Later in the set, Saint Vincent eventually used a 7-2 run to pull ahead 23-21. The Presidents earned the set victory on its fourth set point. A kill and service ace by
Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio / Holy Name) gave W&J the 28-26 set victory.
W&J was able to carry the momentum of the third set victory into the fourth set. A pair of kills by
Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa./South Park) and service ace by Benz helped W&J sprint out to a 6-2 advantage. The Bearcats countered with seven of the next eight points to push ahead 9-7. The Presidents took control from there with seven-straight points. Fetsko and
Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) bookended the run with kills. After a Saint Vincent point, W&J added another run with six-straight points. Benz and
Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio / Fairbanks) accounted for five of the six points as W&J led by a 20-10 margin. The Presidents continued to hold a decisive advantage before
Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio / Benjamin Logan) finished off the set with a 25-16 set four victory.
The Presidents raced out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth set. Despite a run by Saint Vincent to trim the W&J lead to 10-9, the Presidents recorded the final six points of the set to secure the victory. Little accounted for the first two points with a pair of kills. Benz ended the match with a service ace.
W&J produced its best offense of the night when it mattered most. The Presidents hit .231 in the fourth before tallying a .292 attack percentage.
Three Presidents finished with double-digit kills. Little led the way with a season-high 16 kills. Fetsko added 15 kills while Benz registered a solid all-around night with 12 kills, 20 digs, three service aces and two blocks.
Moorhouse registered a team-high 30 assists. Sacramento added 24 assists and 15 digs. Defensively,
Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa./Cornerstone Preparatory Academy) equaled the match-high with 29 digs. Benz and
Bella Anzevino (Brunswick, Ohio / Buckeye) both had three service aces. Carmichael finished with six blocks to pace the Presidents defensive game at the net.
W&J travels to Dickinson for a tri-match on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Presidents will face Elizabethtown in the 2 p.m. match before facing the host Red Devils at 4 p.m.
