Friday, Sept. 3, the Elizabethtown College women’s volleyball team opened the 2021 season with a split, falling to Dickinson College and topping Rowan University, at the Battlefield Classic hosted by Gettysburg College. The games started with a game against the Dickenson Red Devils.
Dickinson won the first set 25-15, but in the second set, the Blue Jays came back with six points in a row and had the advantage of 9-3.
Sophomore Georgianna Kahley finished the afternoon with 15 kills and 23 digs, including her first career double-double in match one. Sophomore Kambrie Hepler tallied 29 digs and junior Sarah Hanks and senior Rileigh Hudock combined for 47 assists. Sophomore Katie Scaggs registered 11 total blocks. Senior Shelly Yohe and Scaggs each had a block and a kill over the stretch and Kahley had another.
As the match went on, Dickinson climbed back into the match with a run of their own, scoring five straight points to close within one (11-10).
Then, first-year Karlee Ray pushed the lead back to two with a kill, but the Red Devils moved ahead 2-0 with the 25-22 win.
After Dickinson stretched its lead to three (15-12) the Blue Jays scored five of the next points to move ahead 17-16. Kahley recorded two kills over this stretch and Scaggs had a kill and a block.
At the end of the game, both teams were tied at 21. The Red Devils closed out scoring the final five points for the 25-21 win.
In the second match, Rowan came out strong, running out to a 8-2 lead in the opening set. The Blue Jays, however, responded with a 10-4 run capped off by a kill from [year] Gianna Krinok.
In the second match, Etown continued to charge in the first part, pushing its lead to 21-15 after Hanks found Yohe for the kill.
Down one (7-6) early in the second, Etown once again used another scoring burst to take control of the set. The Blue Jays scored nine of the next 10 points and moved in front 15-8 after an ace from Hanks.
Etown then pushed it lead all the way to 10 (24-14) and held off a final run from Dickinson for the 25-20 win in set two.
Like the first two sets, the Blue Jays found themselves losing early on, with a score of 10-8. Ray then sparked a rally for Etown, smashing home a Hudock set to kickoff off a 5-0 run and move the Blue Jays in front 13-8.
The Blue Jays return to Thompson Gymnasium for their home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 8 against St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m.
