Box Score
Millersville, Pa. – It was an “interesting match" for sure. That is how women's volleyball coach Brian Smith described his team's thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 win against the Red Raiders of Shippensburg at Pucillo Gymnasium Tuesday.
The Red Raiders, who were seeking their first PSAC East win of the season and came into the match on a seven-match losing streak, were strong in the early going. Shippensburg took the first two sets of the match by identical 25-20 scores. From there, Millersville seemed to flip a switch. The Marauders won the final three sets of the match by scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 15-8 to steal the win from the Red Raiders.
Millersville was sparked in the third and fourth sets by Brittany Lease, who told her coach she didn't even know if she could jump prior to the start of the match. “Brittany is fearless, she's a competitor; diving for balls on the floor and just getting after it,” Smith said of his senior. Lease finished with nine kills and five digs.
Lease was not alone, however, in bringing the Marauders back. She was one of five Millersville players to finish with nine or more kills. Katie Lesinski and Mary Paul tied for a team-high with 10 kills apiece, while Lease, Allison Huss and Rebecca Roman were not far behind with nine kills each.
Lesinski added nine digs to her 10 kills, while Paul tallied three blocks (one solo). Roman had a .381 hitting percentage on 21 swings and Huss chipped in 11 digs. This was the fourth straight match that the Marauders had at least three players register double-digit digs. Sue Caramanico lead the team with 14 digs, Kellie Conahan had 13 digs and Katie Pisano had 11, while also assisting on 31 kills.
Millersville fended off a potent Shippensburg attack all match long. Jill Edwards and Erin Flick finished with 14 and 10 kills, respectively, but the Marauders limited the Red Raiders to a .098 attack percentage as a team.
The win improves the Marauders to 7-10 (2-4 PSAC East), giving them their second PSAC win of the season and first against an Eastern division opponent. Tonight's match began a nine-match home string for Millersville. The team has a week off before hosting Chestnut Hill next Tuesday at 7 p.m.
