The Muhlenberg volleyball team opened the 2023 season by splitting a pair of matches in Virginia.
The Mules defeated Marymount in four closely contest sets in their first match, then fell in three sets to 22nd-ranked Mary Washington.
The four sets in the Marymount match were decided by a
total of nine points, with Muhlenberg prevailing 26-24, 22-25, 25-23, 33-31 against a Saints team that won the Atlantic East championship and played in the NCAA Tournament last year.
Since sets have been going to 25 points, the Mules have played only three sets with a higher score than 33-31, and this was the first time in program history that the final set in a match featured so many points.
Junior
Esmae Oehler (16) and sophomore
Christina Marcin (10) both reached double figures in kills, while freshman
Sierra Addy was impressive in her collegiate debut, knocking down 7 kills in only 19 attempts and adding 3 blocks.
Senior
Alyssa Faville led four Mules in double figures in digs with 26, with another first-year player,
Jenny Ryan, adding 13. Senior
Christina Dalton finished with 19 assists and 12 digs for her second career double-double.
Muhlenberg staved off an incredible seven set points in the fourth, the last at 30-31. Oehler put down a kill on the next point, and after a Marymount attack error, Addy ended the marathon with a kill off a set by Ryan.
In their second match, the Mules faced a Mary Washington squad that advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament last year and put up a good battle, particularly in the second set.
After squandering a 7-2 lead and falling behind 18-13 due to a 9-0 run by the Eagles, Muhlenberg came back to tie the set at 20-all. Mary Washington scored five of the next six points, however. The 25-21 set was sandwiched in between two 25-16 sets.
Oehler again led the Mules with 8 kills, while Dalton notched another double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore
Camila Leyes (pictured above) pulled up a career-high 10 digs.
Faville added 19 more digs, bringing her career total to 992.
