Volleyball Takes Swarthmore to Five Sets

The Muhlenberg volleyball put a scare into one of the top programs in the Centennial Conference, taking Swarthmore to five sets.

The Mules (11-9, 1-5) took the first two sets in decisive fashion, 25-12 and 25-16. But the Garnet, which has made the CC playoffs each of the last eight seasons and received votes in the Division III poll earlier this year, came back to take the next three sets.

Muhlenberg hit .424 in the first two sets, making just one attack error in the second. 

Freshman Sierra Addy recorded 6 of her 11 kills in the first set, including two in a 7-0 run that gave the Mules a 15-7 lead. 

In the second set, sophomore Christina Marcin put down 5 of her team-high 13 kills and an 11-0 run that turned a 7-6 Muhlenberg advantage to 18-6. The run also featured a kill and solo block by senior Isabella Pontrelli (pictured above).

Swarthmore flipped a switch between the second and third sets and did not trail again. The Mules overcame a 6-1 deficit in the fourth set to tie the score at 6-6, but the Garnet ran off the next seven points and then opened the decisive fifth set by jumping out to a 9-1 lead.

Junior Rachel Jacobs joined Marcin and Addy in double figures with 11 kills. Freshman Jenny Ryan set a career high with 39 assists, and seniors Alyssa Faville (23) and Julia Ficon (11) reached double figures in digs along with Marcin (11).