Jackson, Freshmen Lead Fighting Scots to Win over Salem in Opener of Rebich Investments Invitational

Freshmen Bella Burrelli and Erica Sharp celebrate a point in season opener.

Box Score (New/Sortable Format) THE RUNDOWN – Rebich Investments Invitational

Final Score: Edinboro 3, Salem 0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-11)
Records: Edinboro 1-0, 0-0-0 PSAC West l Salem 1-0
Location: Edinboro, Pa. – McComb Fieldhouse
Box Score
The Short Story: The Fighting Scots opened the 2019-20 season hosting the Rebich Investments Invitational. Edinboro won its first of four matches in straight sets over Salem, prevailing by scores of 25-13, 25-13, 25-11. Returning All-PSAC performer Cierah Jackson led the way with 12 kills, while Alicia Eldredge had 26 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Edinboro led almost the entire match, with just two ties in game one and two ties and one lead change in game two. The Fighting Scots never trailed in game three.
Tied at 10-10 in the first set, the Fighting Scots ran off the next seven points and never looked back. Erica Sharp had three service aces and a kill during the run.
After trailing early bin game number two, Edinboro went from a 6-5 lead to a 14-6 advantage thanks to an 8-1 run. The Tigers never pulled closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Edinboro humped out to a 7-1 lead in game three. The Tigers scored the next three points, but Edinboro followed with a 4-0 run keyed by kills by Cierah Jackson and Bella Burrelli. Salem closed to 12-9 midway through the set, but six straight points gave Edinboro a comfortable 18-9 lead.

GAME NOTES

Junior Cierah Jackson led Edinboro with 12 kill and had a .389 hitting percentage. The 5'8" outside hitter was a second-team All-PSAC selection a year ago.
The Fighting Scots saw a pair of freshmen contribute in the opener. Erica Sharp had 8 kills and 4 service aces while Bella Burrelli also had 8 kills and 4 service aces, plus a team-high 9 digs. Sharp had a .700 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Alicia Eldredge led the Scots with 26 assists and added 6 kills.
Edinboro hit .443 for the match, including .538 in the second set. The Fighting Scots also registered 13 service aces.
Edinboro head coach Missy Soboleski opened her 15th season as head coach. She has 318 wins as Edinboro's head coach, and an overall mark of 451-352 in her 25^th season.. Soboleski ranks 22nd in NCAA Division II in wins for active coaches.

UP NEXT

Edinboro plays its second match on Friday night, facing a Minnesota State-Moorhead team that defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 3-0, in its opener.
The Fighting Scots play two more contests on Saturday, hosting Glenville State at 12 noon and West Virginia Wesleyan at 6 p.m.

Players Mentioned