PITTSBURGH (Sept. 22) -- The Thiel College Women's Volleyball team hung with No. 7 Carnegie Mellon Tuesday evening but ultimately fell 25-21, 25-19, 25-19 in non-conference action from Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics.
The Tomcats dip to 3-4 while the Tartans rise to 11-1.
Set one was even early as an
Addi Vagi (Marysville, Mich./Marysville) kill knotted things at 13. The home side logged the next 4 points and 6 of the next 7 to pull ahead 19-14. Back-to-back
Ava Byer (Hollsopple, Pa./Canemaugh Township Area) kills got Thiel within 2 at 20-18 before CMU tallied the next 4 and 5 of the next 8 to take set one.
Byer led Thiel with nine kills and no errors on .563 to go with a pair of digs. Vagi notched four kills with a team-most 14 assists, seven digs and two aces.
A Byer kill along with a
Rian Owens (Neshannock, Pa./Neshannock) ace in set two made it 12-10 Thiel. The Tartans recorded the next 5 points and 9-of-10 to pull ahead 19-13. Thiel made a late spurt as a
Sarah Wilson (Rural Valley, Pa./West Shamokin) ace capped a 3-0 run to make it 23-19 before the home side eventually took the frame.
Owens had 12 assists, five digs and a match-high-tying three aces. Wilson had five digs and a pair of aces.
Kills from
Caitlin Stephens (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) and Byer got Thiel within in 13-10 in set three. A 6-0 Tartans run proved the difference, pushing the lead to 22-14 as the home side recorded the sweep.
Stephens notched a pair of kills, digs and blocks each in the defeat.
Lyndzee Amory (Edinboro, Pa./Saegertown),
Kristina Varion (Greenville, Pa./Greenville),
Isabella McCutcheon (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea-Midpark) and
Hannah Myers (Warren, Ohio/John F. Kennedy Catholic) all added three kills apiece.
Jordan Yoder (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) led Thiel with eight digs.
The Tomcats are back in action Friday for a 7 p.m. tilt at Waynesburg to open conference action.
