The Muhlenberg volleyball team snapped its three-match skid in a big way, picking up two wins against strong programs.

The Mules opened their tri-match with a 3-0 sweep of McDaniel, a team that has been to the Centennial Conference semifinals five of the last seven seasons. In its second match, Muhlenberg (8-7, 1-2) came from behind to win in five sets against DeSales, which has advanced to the MAC Freedom championship match eight times in the last nine seasons.

In the McDaniel match, freshman Esmae Oehler recorded her second straight double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs, and freshman Jenna Stockfeder put down 9 kills in only 13 attempts to go along with 3 blocks. Sophomore Alyssa Faville had 11 digs for a defense that held the leading hitter in the CC to 8 kills in the three sets.

Freshman Kelsey Miller also had a big match, with 13 assists, 5 digs and a pair of aces.

Oehler put down three kills in a 4-0 run in the first set that extended Muhlenberg's lead from 8-7 to 12-7. It was 16-12 before the Mules put the set out of reach by scoring six of the next seven points.

McDaniel (5-9, 1-2) led the second set 20-19 before Muhlenberg reeled off the final six points to take a 2-0 lead. The run included two service aces and a kill by junior Emma Eglinton.

The Mules came from behind again in the third set, turning a 15-13 deficit into a 21-16 lead in a span that included a kill and block by sophomore Christina Dalton (pictured above). Two Green Terror attack errors closed out the 25-20 set and Muhlenberg's first 3-0 sweep of McDaniel since 2016.

The second match did not look promising after DeSales won the first set, 25-21, and opened up a 20-14 lead in the second. But the Mules stormed back, closing the set with an 11-1 run for a stunning 25-21 win. Two kills by Stockfeder and a pair of aces by Miller highlighted the run.

In the third set, Muhlenberg was the victim of a late run, with an 18-14 lead turning into a 20-18 disadvantage. The Mules trailed 23-21 but finished strong again, taking a 2-1 match lead with a 26-24 win.

The Bulldogs (10-6) took the fourth set, 25-16, sending the Mules to their first five-setter of the season.

The fifth set was the "Megan Ray Show," with Muhlenberg's lone senior scoring four straight points to help Muhlenberg jump out to a 7-1 lead. Ray had five kills in the set and a career-high 18 for the match. Trailing 14-5, DeSales fended off three match points but committed an attack error on the final point of the match.

Joining Ray with double figures in kills were sophomore Isabella Pontrelli (career-high 12) and Oehler (10). Miller had another outstanding stat line, with 19 assists, 9 digs and 4 aces. Eglinton finished with 35 assists and 19 digs.

Faville led the defense with a career-high 28 digs.