ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Lewis & Clark College volleyball split two matches Friday at the UR Invitational, falling to Clarkson University in the opener before sweeping Penn College in the second match.
THE BASICS
MATCH ONE
Clarkson 3, Lewis & Clark 0 (30-28, 25-18, 25-19)
(Lewis & Clark 1-3)
(Clarkson 5-2)
MATCH TWO
Lewis & Clark 3, Penn College 0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-13)
(Lewis & Clark 2-3)
(Penn College 0-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED
First-year
Lexi Musselwhite led Lewis & Clark with 16 kills on the day, recording a team-high nine against Clarkson and seven against Penn College. She hit .381 against Clarkson.
Senior
Kaitlyn Jensen finished with 14 kills, posting eight against Clarkson and six against Penn College. Fellow senior
Isabel Meleán-Williams recorded 11 kills, including a team-high nine while hitting a career-best .571 in the win over Penn College.
Senior setter
Ruby Kuerschner directed the offense with 31 assists, recording 19 against Clarkson and 12 against Penn College.
Kenzie Edwards added 16 assists, and the senior notched seven service aces on the day, including 13 assists and all seven aces against Penn College.
Senior
HB Schuett posted eight kills and led Lewis & Clark with four total blocks.
Sophomore libero
Ariah Potts recorded 18 digs, while first-year libero
Maya Doerr added 15.
MATCH ONE
The River Otters took an early 9-5 lead before Clarkson pulled within 11-10 on an attack error. Lewis & Clark responded with a 7-2 run, capped by a Musselwhite kill, to take an 18-12 advantage. Another Musselwhite kill and a service ace from Kuerschner gave the River Otters a 23-18 lead.
Clarkson answered with five consecutive points to tie the set at 23. The teams traded points until 28-28, with Lewis & Clark earning five set-point opportunities before the Golden Knights won the final two points for a 30-28 victory.
Clarkson controlled the second and third sets, holding Lewis & Clark to a .000 hitting percentage in the second and .029 in the third. The Golden Knights built leads of 12-5 and 20-12 in the second set. The teams traded points through an 11-11 tie in the third before Clarkson pulled ahead for a 25-19 win.
MATCH TWO
Lewis & Clark responded with a 25-12, 25-12, 25-13 sweep of Penn College. The River Otters hit .250 across the three sets and held the Wildcats to a negative hitting percentage.
Lewis & Clark controlled the opening set behind Edwards' serving. The senior recorded three aces during a run that extended the lead to 23-10 before Meleán-Williams closed the set with a kill for a 25-12 win.
The River Otters opened the second set with four consecutive points behind the serving of
Coco Otto. Edwards later served three consecutive aces to extend the advantage to 13-2. Meleán-Williams again finished the set with a kill for a 25-12 victory.
Penn College stayed close early in the third set before a Meleán-Williams kill at 8-6 started a 5-0 Lewis & Clark run. The River Otters continued to extend their advantage, and Meleán-Williams finished the match with her ninth kill to secure a 25-13 win.
Musselwhite added seven kills in the sweep, while Jensen finished with six. Kuerschner distributed 12 assists, and Edwards recorded 13 assists and seven aces.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Musselwhite recorded a career-high nine kills against Clarkson.
- Meleán-Williams recorded the final point in all three sets of the Penn College sweep.
- First-years Gracie De Fina, Maddi Ruybal and Willow Diamond made their collegiate debuts on Friday.
- Kuerschner's 31 assists on the day pushed her past 1,400 career assists.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark continues play at the UR Invitational on Saturday against the University of Rochester at 8 a.m. Pacific / 11 a.m. Eastern, followed by Alfred University at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern.
