The Muhlenberg volleyball team won its first match and came close to beating a tough second opponent in day one of its annual Buttermaker Tournament.
The Mules improved to 6-0 by defeating SUNY Cortland in its first match, 3-0, then battled Stevenson, a team currently receiving votes in the AVCA Division III poll and a NCAA tournament qualifier last year, to five sets. The Mustangs (7-0) snapped Muhlenberg's win streak by taking the fifth set.
Muhlenberg's six-game winning streak to start the season was the longest for the program since the 1993 team started the season 11-0 in the team's first season in the Centennial Conference.
Junior
Kelly Tornetta led the Mules with 34 kills in the two matches, tying her career-high with 20 kills vs. Stevenson. Tornetta also recorded 12 digs against the Mustangs, giving herself the 10th double-double of her career.
Junior
Shannon Hubert recorded 75 assists on the day (37 vs. Cortland, 38 vs. Stevenson) and notched 17 digs against Stevenson. Freshman
Maya Illovsky led the Mules in digs in both matches, recording 18 in the first and 21 in the second. Freshman
Alycia Long recorded four blocks against Stevenson to lead the Mules.
In the first match against the Red Dragons (3-3), Muhlenberg built itself a lead in the first set with sophomore
Tara Register winning three straight points with kills to make it 9-5. The Mules grew their margin to as large as eight before a Tornetta kill wrapped up a 25-18 first set Muhlenberg win.
The Mules won the second set as well 25-18. Cortland rallied to make it 22-18 before a kill from Tornetta and two straight service aces from Hubert sealed the set victory for the Mules.
The third set remained close until Muhlenberg pulled ahead with a kill by sophomore
Madison Forrest and a Tornetta service ace to make it 17-14. Cortland took the next point, but Muhlenberg then rattled off four straight points with Illovsky serving to pull ahead, eventually winning the set 25-19 and taking the match.
Muhlenberg started off strong in its match against Stevenson as well. With the Mules up 16-13, they rallied for five straight points, including a kill by junior
Erica Schultz and a
Kendall Applegate service ace. Stevenson came back to make it 23-21, but Muhlenberg closed out the set with kills from Tornetta and sophomore
Maggie Enestvedt to take the first set.
The Mustangs took a late 23-21 lead in the second set before an Enestvedt kill started a Muhlenberg four-point rally to win the set. Applegate recorded another service ace and served out the set.
Stevenson rallied to take the third set and held a 9-4 advantage in the fourth stanza. Muhlenberg roared back with seven straight points, including three kills each from Tornetta and Schultz, to make it 11-9. The stanza remained close and in Muhlenberg's favor until the Mustangs rallied to take the final five points and come back to win 25-22.
The Mules did not roll over in the fifth set, taking an early 3-0 lead with two Tornetta kills and a Stevenson error. The Mustangs, however, eventually won six straight points to go up by four and the Mules could not drop the margin any lower than three the rest of the way.
Muhlenberg returns to action Saturday with two more matches, starting at 10:00 against Cabrini followed by a 2:00 contest against Virginia Wesleyan.
