WESTMINSTER, Md. - McDaniel College volleyball sophomore
Kenzie Mitchell totaled a career-high 19 kills, but Dickinson pulled out a five-set win in a pivotal Centennial Conference match with postseason implications Wednesday.
The Green Terror (10-7, 1-3 CC) currently sit in a four-way tie for seventh in the conference standings with six league matches remaining. They are tied with Muhlenberg, Ursinus and Dickinson. The top six teams advance to the 2023 Centennial Conference Volleyball Championship.
Mitchell led the offense while senior
Nia Roberts, junior
Angalyn Strouse and sophomore
Kailey Young had 10 kills apiece. Junior
Kathy Taveras led the defense with 21 digs and added three service aces.
DIckinson (6-10,1-3 CC) jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Roberts helped the offense gain traction with a pair of kills. Senior
Tatiana Hamilton assisted freshman
Abigayle Bowley with a kill as McDaniel took its first lead of the game. Both teams battled back and forth with runs by each until McDaniel rattled off four points to take a 20-18 lead. Mitchell had three kills to close out the first set, 25-21.
McDaniel kept the momentum going into the second with an early 10-4 lead. Back-to-back aces by freshman
Hannah Waters extended the lead to eight. From there, Dickinson started to claw back into the set as multiple runs kept the match close before the visitors went on a four-point run to win the second, 25-22.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair with lead changes throughout. Tied at 15-15, Dickinson surged ahead by four points. However, the Green Terror wouldn't go away as they rallied with five points, including two on kills by Mitchell to retake the lead, 23-22. The two teams needed extra time before Dickinson claimed a 27-25 victory.
Trailing 2-1 in the match, McDaniel fought back with an 8-4 lead to start the fourth. The team kept building its lead, taking a 20-13 advantage. Dickinson broke the run with a point, but the Green Terror rattled off five-straight to force a fifth set.
The deciding set featured six ties, the last coming at 9-9 following a kill by Bowley. However, the Red Devils reeled off the next three points before sealing the match on a kill by Emma Popham and a McDaniel error on match point.
The Green Terror return to action next Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Gettysburg. Match time is at 7 p.m.
