Muhlenberg volleyball elevated its winning streak to 11 matches by completing a perfect 3-0 weekend at Ramapo's Roadrunner Invitational.
Â
The Mules (17-2) first beat host Ramapo Friday night, 3-1, before battling from behind to defeat Lebanon Valley in five sets and sweeping Union (N.Y.) Saturday. The win over Ramapo gave the Mules two straight victories in matches against NCAA tournament teams from last season.
Â
The 11-game winning streak is now tied for the second longest in team history, trailing only 2014's 13-game streak. The Mules' other 11-game winning streak was in 1993 when the team set a school record by winning its first 11 games of the season, its first in the Centennial Conference.
Â
Sophomore
Maggie Enestvedt led the charge for Muhlenberg with 47 kills in the three matches, including a 23-kill effort against Lebanon Valley. She eclipsed 500 kills for her career (519) in the process. Junior
Kelly Tornetta finished with double-digit kills in all three contests, moving her past 700 kills for her career and into 12th place on Muhlenberg's all-time kills list (723).
Â
Junior setter
Shannon Hubert led the Mules with 75 assists in two matches, moving her into third place on Muhlenberg's career assists list (2,275). She also finished with 22 digs to move past 800 in her career. Sophomore
Gabrielle Neuman totaled 47 assists over two matches as well.
Â
Freshman
Maya Illovsky registered double-digit digs totals in each match, totaling a high of 21 vs. Ramapo. Sophomore
Madison Forrest led the Mules with nine blocks, while Tornetta and junior
Brenna Littleson each recorded six aces to lead the team.
Â
Against the Roadrunners (12-4), Muhlenberg never trailed by more than two points in opening up a 2-0 lead in the match. Ramapo battled back to take the third set and started the fourth stanza with a lead before two of Enestvedt's 19 kills in the match helped the Mules tie the set at 11-11. The two teams remained close in the set, with the lead never increasing to more than three points, before Muhlenberg wrapped up the match by taking four of the final five points in the set to win 25-17, 25-17, 18-25, 25-23.
Â
Muhlenberg dropped its first set in its match against the Flying Dutchmen (10-6) but won the first eight points of the second set, including three straight Enestvedt kills, to take a commanding lead and eventually tie the match at 1-1.
Â
Lebanon Valley won a back-and-forth third set, but Muhlenberg proved resilient by holding off a Dutchmen comeback and tying the match again at two sets apiece.
Â
The Mules trailed in the fifth set before sophomore
Tara Register made one of her seven kills to give Muhlenberg a lead it would not relinquish. Neuman recorded a kill, assisted on Enestvedt's final kill and then served up an ace to close the match in Muhlenberg's favor, 18-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 15-10.
Â
Muhlenberg played a close first set with Union, gutting out a 27-25 victory before winning by more comfortable margins in the second and third sets – 25-13, 25-21. Tornetta earned kills on Muhlenberg's final two points to give her a match-high 12 kills.
Â