LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — The Edinboro women's volleyball team dropped a 3-2 decision to Jefferson on Friday in the first game at the Lock Haven Invitational.
In the first, the Rams jumped out to a 6-2 behind three kills by Pemi Areola, but the Scots came back with five straight points led by kills from
Taylor Pucky and
Reilly Parent to go with an ace from
Anna Saldana and a
Maggie Koster block to move ahead 7-6. After the Rams tied it, the Scots went back in front 8-7 on an Emily McKenna attack error, and the set stayed tight until kills by
Christina Lockett and
D'Aira Whitner helped the Scots build a 15-11 lead. The Scots later led 20-16 on a Parent kill and a Koster ace, but the Rams cut the margin to 21-20 before a McKenna attack error and a Lockett block pushed the Scots back ahead 23-20. Whitner's kill put the Scots at 24-22, and after Alexa Pomeroy brought the Rams within 24-23, Whitner finished the set with another kill for a 25-23 win.
After the Rams moved in front 2-1 in the second on consecutive kills by Pemi Areola, the Scots answered during a 6-1 stretch that included kills from Whitner,
Makayla Neelands, Koster and Pucky for a 7-3 lead. The lead stayed with the Scots through the middle stages, with Neelands serving an ace to keep the Scots ahead 9-5.
Grace Petro extended the lead to 12-8 with an ace. Whitner teamed with Lockett on a block that helped push the advantage to 15-10. The Scots led 18-14 after an Emily McKenna attack error, but the Rams scored the next nine points behind Gabby Titus' serve, including kills by McKenna and Liz Tanis, to move ahead 23-18. Saldana stopped the stretch with a kill and Pucky added back-to-back kills to get the Scots within 24-22, but Tanis closed the set with a kill to give the Rams a 25-22 win.
The third set stayed level through 6-6 as Whitner had two early kills. Petro's service ace put the Scots ahead 10-9, but the Rams answered with kills by Gabby Titus and Kate Hines around a Hines ace for a 12-10 edge, then extended the lead to 16-12 and later 20-16. The Scots worked back within 21-20 on kills by Whitner and Neelands. The Rams reached set point at 24-22, but a Pucky kill and an Alexa Mork attack error tied the set at 24-24. Emily McKenna and Pucky traded kills to make it 25-25 before Titus put the Rams back in front, and a Scots attack error closed the set 27-25 for the Rams.
The Scots moved in front early in the fourth set, turning a Ram service error into a 5-0 start as Parent served two aces and Neelands and Lockett combined on a block. Jefferson got back within 6-3 with a Gabby Titus kill and a Kate Hines ace, but the Scots pushed the margin back out to 10-4 with consecutive Ram attack errors and a Pucky kill. After the Rams closed to 14-8, Whitner recorded three kills during the Scots' 5-2 spurt to take a 19-10 lead. Neelands added back-to-back aces in a late four-point run that brought the Scots to 24-12, and Parent finished the set with a kill for a 25-13 win.
The Scots traded early sideouts with the Rams in the fifth, with the Rams building an early 4-3 advantage. Jefferson created separation from there, scoring four straight points to move ahead 8-3 behind a Liz Tanis kill, an Emily McKenna service ace and two Scots attack errors. Koster and Pucky picked up kills as the Scots pushed back, but a kill from McKenna put the Rams ahead 14-7, Lockett's kill and
Faith Schneider's service ace pulled the Scots to 14-9 before Alexa Pomeroy closed the Rams' 15-9 fifth-set win.
Whitner led the Scots with 16 kills and 17.5 points while hitting .419 to go with two two blocks. Lockett finished with seven kills on seven attacks, hit 1.000 and recorded three total blocks. Parent collected a team-high 15 digs, added seven kills and two aces. Petro posted a team-high 17 assists with 12 digs and three service aces.
The Scots are back in action on Saturday when they take on host Lock Haven Saturday at 9 a.m.
