The Elizabethtown College women’s volleyball team was victorious over Mount Aloysius College, defeating the Mounties in three straight sets. The win came in the team’s annual “Dig Pink” match in Thompson Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 18.
The game helped raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Proceeds from the “Dig Pink” match will be split between the Side-Out Foundation, which is the parent organization of Dig Pink, and the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. The Blue Jays dawned special pink uniforms during the contest to help raise awareness.
Sophomores Abby Thrift and Juliana Mown helped propel Etown to victory with strong hitting performances. The duo combined for 20 kills in the contest, helping the Blue Jays keep their record above .500. The Blue Jays dominated all three sets, winning 25-14, 25-15 and 25-16. The Blue Jays never trailed the Mounties in the last two sets. The only time Etown trailed was in the first set 1-0 after an early kill by Mount Aloysius.
With the loss, Mount Aloysius moved to 5-20 for the season. Even though the Mounties were downed in straight sets, the matches initial set was closer than one would think. The score was close at 12-9 until Thrift and Mowen began to dominate the court, combining for four kills in the set.
The win came after the Blue Jays lost against conference foe Stevenson University. Senior captain Carolyn Lukiewski talked about the win and how the team was able to bounce back after the tough loss. “We really wanted to come out and play a solid three sets after that loss,” Lukiewski said. “I think we played well as a team and can build off the win looking toward the playoffs.”
Sophomores set the stage for Etown as Megan McNaul had four kills, while Karley Ice recorded the only block of the set for the Blue Jays. Junior Kelci Scannapieco continued her dominance at the net, finishing the match with eight kills and two blocks. First-year Kelly Schriever also added four kills.
With Etown dominating throughout the contest, the Blue Jays were able to move players into different positions throughout the match. Young players were able to get an opportunity to play for a large chunk of the match. Sophomore defenseman Brynne Kirsch had 14 assists while playing setter, sophomore Shannon Deck played libero in the match’s last set and had six digs.
The Blue Jays continued their success on Tuesday, Oct. 22 when they went on the road to faceoff against the Alvernia Crusaders. Etown showed their dominance on the court, sweeping the Crusaders in three straight sets, 25-16, 25-18 and 25-12. Etown was only down twice in the contest.
With the win, the Blue Jays moved to 6-2 in the Commonwealth Conference, solidifying themselves a spot in the playoffs.
Scannapieco and McNaul lead the teams in kills combining for 19 on the night. McNaul set a career-high with seven kills. In total, the Blue Jays had 44 kills during the match.
Scannapieco already tied the school record for perfect hitting percentage in a match against Rochester University earlier in the season. In the match against Alvernia University, she scored her second highest percentage of the season, hitting .786, 12 kills out of 14 attempts.
“We wanted to prepare ourselves for Alvernia and stay forcused throughout the match,” Scannapieco said. “With just one in-conference game left, the team has to make sure we don’t lose focus.”
Sophomores Steph High and Mary Clyne split setting duties against the Crusaders. In total, the duo finished with 36 assists. Clyne also finished with a match-high 3 aces.
The Blue Jays will finish out the month of October with the Etown October Classic this coming weekend. The Etown Blue Jays’ first game during the Oct. 26 tournament against Muhlenberg College at 2p.m. Penn State Altoona and Stevens Institute of Technology.
The team’s final Commonwealth Conference match will be on Wednesday Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. against conference rival Messiah College.
