ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Lewis & Clark College volleyball split two matches Saturday to close the UR Invitational, falling to host the University of Rochester in four sets before sweeping Alfred University.
THE BASICS
MATCH ONE
Rochester 3, Lewis & Clark 1 (25-21, 15-25, 27-25, 25-19)
(Lewis & Clark 2-4)
(Rochester 5-2)
MATCH TWO
Lewis & Clark 3, Alfred 0 (25-19, 25-7, 25-13)
(Lewis & Clark 3-4)
(Alfred 3-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Senior
Kaitlyn Jensen led Lewis & Clark with 19 kills on the day, recording 10 against Rochester and nine against Alfred. She added six service aces, three in each match, and hit .471 in the win over Alfred.
Fellow senior
Isabel Meleán-Williams finished with 14 kills, posting nine against Rochester and five against Alfred. First-year
Lexi Musselwhite recorded 10 kills across the two matches. Senior
HB Schuett added 11 kills, hit .556 in the Alfred sweep and posted a team-high five blocks in the match.
Senior setter
Ruby Kuerschner directed the offense with 29 assists, recording 15 against Rochester and 14 against Alfred. Senior
Kenzie Edwards added nine assists and three aces against Rochester, while sophomore
Izzy Faulkner served three aces against Alfred. Senior
Abbi Sanchez recorded 10 assists in the Alfred sweep, and sophomore
Coco Otto added five.
Kuerschner led Lewis & Clark with 17 digs across the two matches, while Jensen added 16.
MATCH ONE
Rochester opened the first set with a service ace and stayed even with Lewis & Clark early. The River Otters moved ahead 15-12 on a Musselwhite kill after a Schuett ace, but Rochester answered with four consecutive points to take a 16-15 lead. The hosts extended their advantage to 18-16 and 21-17 before closing the set with an ace for a 25-21 win.
Lewis & Clark took the second set behind Edwards' serving. The senior recorded back-to-back aces during an early run, and Jensen later served an ace to extend the lead to double figures. The River Otters held Rochester to a -.133 hitting percentage in a 25-15 win.
The third set came down to the final points. Jensen served two aces to tie the score at 14, and neither team created much separation the rest of the way. Lewis & Clark reached set point at 24-23 on a Jensen kill, but Rochester scored four of the final five points and closed the set on an Ellen Porter kill for a 27-25 win.
Lewis & Clark opened the fourth set with a 3-0 lead behind Kuerschner's serving, including an ace and a Meleán-Williams kill. Rochester recovered, moved ahead midway through the set and pulled away for a 25-19 win to take the match.
MATCH TWO
Lewis & Clark swept Alfred 25-19, 25-7, 25-13 in the second match. The River Otters hit .400 across the three sets and held the Saxons to a negative hitting percentage (-.037).
The teams traded points to a 5-5 tie before Lewis & Clark pulled ahead behind Kuerschner's serving. The senior helped turn a two-point advantage into a 22-15 lead, and the River Otters closed the set on a Schuett kill for a 25-19 win.
Lewis & Clark controlled the second set from the opening rally, scoring the first three points on Kuerschner's serve. Jensen served two aces to extend the lead to 13-4, and Faulkner added two more aces late in a 25-7 win. The River Otters recorded five team blocks in the set.
Alfred stayed close early in the third set before Lewis & Clark pulled ahead behind aces from Schuett and Faulkner. Jensen recorded five kills on six attempts in the set, and the River Otters closed the match on a block by junior
Morgan Armitage and Schuett for a 25-13 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Melean-Williams recorded nine kills against Rochester and hit .269.
- Musselwhite knocked down six kills against Alfred on 11 attempts for a .455 hitting percentage.
- Lewis & Clark recorded 9.0 team blocks against Alfred. Schuett posted five block assists, while Jensen and first-year Skyler Staab each added four.
- Jensen finished with 28 points across the two matches, the most on the team.
- First-year libero Maya Doerr recorded nine digs in the Rochester match.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark opens Northwest Conference play Tuesday, hosting Pacific at 7 p.m.
