Women’s Volleyball goes 1-1, will battle for third in USCAA Championship consolation game

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. --- Carlow University women's volleyball went 1-1 on the second day of the USCAA Championship tournament at Penn State Fayette, defeating Mid-Atlantic Christian University, 3-0, and falling, 3-0, to the University of Maine Fort Kent.

The Celtics (13-15) will face Bay Path University for the second time in the tournament for a consolation match Nov. 11 at 10 a.m.

Game 1 vs. MACU: W, 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-12)

The Celtics made quick work of the Mustangs (3-18) to get the day started in the 9 a.m. match.

Rebecca Hess and Alison Humberston led the team with nine kills each. Carlow recorded 16 services aces and hit .250 in the game. The Celtics held the Mustangs to single digit kills in each set.

The teams tied, 5-all, in the first set before Carlow went on a 5-1 run to lead, 10-6.

MACU trailed 15-14 midway through the game, but the Celtics scored the next 10 points to take the first set, 25-14.

The Celtics jumped out to a 14-4 advantage in the second set and held the Mustangs off, scoring the final six points of the set to win, 25-11.

The third set played out much the same way, with Carlow leading, 15-5, en route to a 25-12 win.

The Celtics moved down to the PSU Fayette Athletics Recreation Center to face the University of Maine Fort Kent for the 2 p.m. match.

Game 2 vs. UMFK: L, 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-12)

The Celtics fell in three close sets to Maine Fort Kent in the second game of the day.

Carlow led all three sets against the Bengals (19-7), but Maine Fort Kent rallied and defeated the Celtics in the end.

Humberston tallied a game-high 13 kills, Hess picked up 11 digs and Meghan Alexander had 14 assists in the effort.

Carlow started the first set ahead, 8-4.

The Bengals tied it up at 16-all, gaining a marginal one-point lead before the Celtics tied it at 17.

Maine Fort Kent went ahead 19-17 before the Celtics called a timeout. An ace and a Carlow attacking error put the Bengals up, 21-17, forcing the Celtics to use another timeout to regroup. Taylor Claypoole swung on two kills to get the Celtics within a point, but the Bengals held Carlow off for the 25-22 win.

The Celtics trailed at the beginning of the second set but slowly chipped away at Maine Fort Kent's lead to gain an 11-9 advantage.

Carlow tied the game twice – at 14-all and 21-all, trailing 23-22 toward the end of the set.

The Bengals hit back-to-back kills for their second 25-22 win, leading the Celtics 2-0.

Once again, Carlow jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the third set, but Maine Fort Kent battled to a 10-10 draw early on.

The Bengals went ahead, 18-14, but two errors and a kill from Sarah Porter had Carlow within a point of tying the game.

Three kills and a Carlow attack error gave Maine Fort Kent a 24-19 advantage, but the Celtics did not quit.

Two Bengals errors gave Carlow a fighting chance, trailing 24-21, and Maine Fort Kent put the game away with one final kill.

Kayla Iwata and Sharon de Vet recorded 12 kills apiece for the Bengals, who hit .279 on the day. Halle Ham had a game-high 15 digs, and Kalyse Whitehead tallied four blocks.