The Muhlenberg volleyball team closed out the first day of the 22nd Buttermaker Tournament in rousing fashion, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Eastern. 

In their first match of the day, and their first home match of the season, the Mules (3-5) put on a dominant performance in sweeping Mount St. Vincent, 25-10, 25-20, 25-8.

Both Eastern and Mount St. Vincent won their conference championships and played in the NCAA Tournament last year.

The third set of the Eastern match was tied 21-21 before Muhlenberg reeled off the final four points to keep the match going. Senior Madison Forrest teamed with senior Maggie Enestvedt for a block and finished off the set with back-to-back kills.

Behind the serving of freshman Emma Eglinton, the Mules jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth set. After the Eagles closed to within two, junior Maya Illovsky served during a 7-0 run that extended the lead to 17-8, and Muhlenberg held off a late Eastern run to win 25-20 and force a decisive fifth set.

Eastern sprinted out to an 8-4 lead in the fifth, but the Mules regrouped after a timeout and ran off five straight points behind the serving of senior Gabrielle Neuman. A service ace by senior Tara Register gave Muhlenberg an 11-9 lead, but Eastern reclaimed the lead by netting the next three points.

Two kills by Enestvedt wrapped around an ace by Illovsky gave the Mules two match points, and they cashed in the second when Enestvedt dropped a ball over the Eastern blockers to complete the 16-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 15-13 win.

Register (11), Forrest (10) and Enestvedt (10) all reached double figures in kills, and senior Laura Boll added 8. Eglinton (23) and Neuman (16) combined for 39 assists.

The five-set match was the fourth already this season for the Mules, who came back from a 2-0 deficit to win only once between 2010 and 2016 but have now done it three times in the last three years.

The first match was much less dramatic. The Mules hit .395 and held the Dolphins (3-2) to a negative hitting percentage.

Register led Muhlenberg with 9 kills, 10 digs and 4 service aces, while junior Alycia Long knocked down 7 kills in only 9 attempts and added 5 blocks. Enestvedt, making her season debut, also recorded 9 kills.

Register notched three straight kills to help the Mules open up a 16-4 lead in the first set, then finished off the set with another kill. The Mules hit an unreal .654 in the set, connecting on 18 of their 26 swings.

Muhlenberg was challenged briefly in the second set, with Mount St. Vincent closing to within 17-15, but back-to-back aces by Neuman helped seal the win. Neumann also assisted Enestvedt on the final point of the set.

The third set was 8-5 before consecutive aces by Forrest gave the Mules some breathing room. The score was 14-7 before Register served 10 straight points, four on aces. As she did in the second set, Enestvedt finished off the match with a kill.

With 50 digs (including 33 vs. Eastern) in the two matches, Illovsky moved up to 12th on the program's all-time list with 1,060 for her career.