SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Edinboro volleyball team moved one step closer to securing a post-season berth with a 25-21, 25-21, 24-26, 20-25, 15-10 win at Slippery Rock on Tuesday night. The Fighting Scots improve to 20-8 on the season and 9-7 in the PSAC. The Rock fell to 11-17 overall and 3-13 in conference play.
The win marked the fourth time in a row that the Fighting Scots have won at least 20 matches in a season. It also marked the ninth-time Edinboro has hit that plateau under the guidance of coach Missy Soboleski.
The first set saw Edinboro jump out to an 18-8 lead mid-way through the frame. Slippery Rock would use a small run of their own to force an Edinboro timeout with the visitors leading 18-16. That was the break the Fighting Scots needed as they pushed through and took five of the last seven points in the set to win 25-21.
The second set was much like the first as both teams used small runs to keep the match even at 11-11. Senior Sydney Trathen would help Edinboro seal the 2-0 set lead after dishing out a kill to freshman Cierah Jackson before freshman Molly Breier tossed up a kill to Trathen to end the set.
After Slippery Rock won the third set, The Rock even the match in the fourth set after holding on in the final three points.
Edinboro took a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back in the deciding set. Slippery Rock tied it up only once at 4-4 before Edinboro would almost double the points the host won. With Soboleski's team leading 13-10, a kill by freshman Paige Morris paired with a The Rock attack error gave Edinboro the victory.
Jackson, the current PSAC Northwest Division Athlete of the Week, led a quartet of Fighting Scots in double-digit kills. Jackson totaled 17 kills while seniors Tessa Sikora and Challen Litwiler added 14 and 11, respectively. Junior Jill Glover contributed 12 kills of her own. Trathen dished out 55 assists in the win to go along with her 10 digs. Litwiler, along with Trathen, had a double-double. The senior had a match-high 18 digs. Breier and fellow freshman Hannah Brentar both recorded 14 and 10 digs respectively.
Edinboro concludes the regular season this weekend with a trip up I-79 with visits to Mercyhurst and Gannon. The match against the Lakers is Friday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m. The regular-season finale at Gannon will start at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 11.
