PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College volleyball team battled its way to a five-set victory over host Point Park University in a non-conference match Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh. 
 
W&J improves its overall record to 6-7. Point Park continues its skid, as a fourth-straight loss dropped the Pioneers to 3-9 overall. The win is the first for the Presidents in the head-to-head series since 2006. W&J had lost five-straight to Point Park entering Tuesday's match. 
 
For the sixth time in 13 matches this season, the Presidents played through a five-set marathon. W&J improved its record to 3-3 in five-set matches in 2023. 
 
The Red and Black used five-straight points to build a 9-6 lead in the opening set. Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa./South Park) and Sophie Little (Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks) bookended the run with kills. W&J maintained its lead for the remainder of the set. The lead swelled to five points (23-18) when Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) recorded a successful attack. Blough eventually capped the set win for W&J with another kill to help W&J post a 25-21 victory. 
 
W&J played from behind for the entire second set. Point Park recorded the five seven points of the frame and held a lead of at least three points the rest of the way. W&J battled throughout the set and pulled within three points (23-20) when Rian Benz (Strongsville, Ohio / Holy Name) and Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) recorded back-to-back kills. However, the Pioneers finished off a 25-20 win with consecutive points to close the set.
 
The Presidents overcame an early deficit in the third set. Point Park held a 9-4 advantage before eventually building its lead to 18-11. That is when W&J made its run to turn the set around. The Presidents scored eight of the next nine points to even the score at 19-19. A pair of aces by Brielle Moorhouse (East Liberty, Ohio / Benjamin Logan) highlighted the run. The teams traded points down the stretch of the set before a Point Park service error coupled by a service ace by Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa. / Cornerstone Preparatory Academy) gave W&J the 27-25 set three victory to take a 2-1 lead. 
 
Point Park broke a 14-14 tie in the fourth and methodically worked its way in front for the remainder of the set. W&J closed back within a point when Carmichael used back-to-back kills to trim the deficit to 22-21. The Pioneers were able to rip off the final three points to force a decisive fifth set. 
 
W&J faced an early deficit in the fifth set before using four-straight points to build a 6-3 advantage. A pair of service aces by Bella Anzevino (Brunswick, Ohio / Buckeye) highlighted the spurt. After Point Park momentarily stopped the run, W&J added two more points to make the score 8-4 on a kill by Beyonce Pierce (Parkersburg, W.Va. / Parkersburg). Point Park responded to make a run of its own to even the score at 13-13. Following a timeout, W&J tallied three of the final four points to take the set 16-14 to secure the match. 

Three Presidents finished with double-digit kills. Fetsko put together her best effort of the season with 14 kills in an efficient effort. Carmichael and Benz recorded 10 kills apiece. 
 
Little continued to be a force in the middle, as the freshman posted a match-high seven total blocks and added seven kills. Moorhouse and Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) recorded 19 assists each.

W&J welcomes Franciscan and La Roche to Salvitti Family Gymnasium for a non-conference tri-match on Saturday, Sept. 30. The Presidents face the Barons at 11 a.m. and will take on the Redhawks at 3 p.m.