SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Edinboro women's volleyball defeated Slippery Rock 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 15-25, 25-18) on Friday.
The Scots trailed 9-3 in the opening set before
Taylor Pucky and
Makayla Neelands recorded kills.
Faith Schneider's service turn helped close the gap to 10-9. The Rock rebuilt the margin to 17-11, but
Maggie Koster answered with a kill, served an ace and stayed at the line as
Christina Lockett added a kill and a block assist to help the Fighting Scots move in front 18-17. The set stayed tight with the score level at 21-21 before Neelands put the Scots ahead with a kill from
Anna Saldana. Schneider served the final three points as the Fighting Scots closed the set 25-21.
After the teams moved through the opening points to a 4-4 tie, Pucky put the Scots back in front with a kill. Parent served five straight points, including a pair of Lockett blocks and another Pucky kill, to make it 10-4. The Rock got two points back, but Pucky answered with a kill, and Koster later added a kill from
Grace Petro as the Fighting Scots moved ahead 15-7. Slippery Rock used a four-point stretch to cut the margin to 17-13 before
D'Aira Whitner stopped it with a kill, and the Scots stayed in front through the middle of the set. A Koster kill made it 23-18. After the Rock pulled within 24-21, Lockett finished the set with a kill from Petro for a 25-21 Fighting Scots win.
The Fighting Scots scored the first six points of the third set. The Rock answered with seven straight points, including three Gwen McCarthy aces and two Chloe Shirk kills, to move in front 7-6 before Whitner tied the match with a kill. Slippery Rock followed with the next eight points to build a 15-7 lead, and the Scots later used kills by
Kennedy Caldwell and Pucky plus a Slippery Rock setting error to make it 17-13. The Rock pushed the margin back to 20-13 and closed the set with late kills by McCarthy and Hayden Deming before a Fighting Scots attack error ended the set at 25-15.
The Scots built a 6-2 lead in the fourth set behind a Neelands ace and kills from Whitner and Lockett. The Rock answered with five straight points, including back-to-back kills by Kaitlyn Danszczak, to move in front 7-6. The set was tied at 11-11 before Neelands, Whitner and Lockett recorded kills in a stretch that put the Fighting Scots ahead 16-12. After the Rock got within 16-14, the Scots won seven of the next eight points to go up 23-15. Slippery Rock scored the next three points, but Neelands followed with a kill and Schneider served an ace to finish the Fighting Scots' 25-18 set win.
Neelands led the Scots with 10 kills and added 14 digs, two service aces and a block assist. Lockett finished with six kills on a .364 hitting percentage and totaled seven blocks, including three solo stuffs. Petro recorded a team-high 19 assists while adding three digs and a service ace. Schneider collected 13 digs, two assists and two service aces.
The Fighting Scots return to action with a visit to Clarion on Saturday. Match time is set for 1 p.m.
