The Muhlenberg volleyball team opened the Buttermaker Tournament with a pair of dominant sweeps.
The Mules (4-1) were rarely challenged in toppling Bard, 25-8, 25-14, 25-20, and Bluffton, 25-20, 25-6, 25-18. Their 4-1 start is the best since 2018, which was also the last time they won three straight matches in three sets.
Serving was the name of the game against Bard: Muhlenberg recorded 18 aces, including 6 by senior Alyssa Faville, 5 by sophomore Christina Marcin and 4 by senior Christina Dalton.
After Dalton and Marcon served back-to-back aces to help stake the Mules to a 10-2 lead in the first opening set, Faville outdid both of them, recording all 6 of her aces in succession as the lead swelled to 18-3.
The second set was 18-14 before junior Esmae Oehler closed it out by serving seven straight points, appropriately punctuating the run with an ace.
Muhlenberg closed the match by scoring the final five points of the third set to pull away from a 20-20 tie. Consecutive kills by freshman Sierra Addy, senior Isabella Pontrelli (pictured above) and Marcin preceded a solo block and kill by Addy that finished off the set.
Marcin led the attack with 6 kills, while Oehler and freshman Kelliann Keogh recorded 5 apiece. Dalton (17) and freshman Jenny Ryan (13) combined for 30 assists and ran an offense that hit at a .244 clip, while Faville’s 12 digs paced a defense that held the Raptors to a negative hitting percentage.
The Mules hit even better (.257) in the Bluffton match, which was highlighted by another long service run by Oehler.
Muhlenberg won the opening set, 25-20, and it was 16-6 in the second before…
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