The Muhlenberg volleyball team opened Centennial Conference play with a tight four-set loss to Gettysburg.

The Bullets (13-3, 1-0), who reached the CC semifinals each of the last two seasons, won the final two sets after the teams split the first two.

Sophomore Christina Marcin led the attack for the Mules (10-5, 0-1) with 15 kills, while junior Esmae Oehler added 10. Senior Alyssa Faville topped the 30-dig mark for the third time in four matches, logging 33.

Muhlenberg fought from behind the entire first set, cutting a 22-17 deficit to 22-21 with a 4-0 run capped by a kill from senior Isabella Pontrelli. A service ace by freshman Sierra Addy tied the set at 23, and the Mules saved set points at 24-23 and 25-24 with kills by Marcin. Gettysburg finally put the set away at 27-25 by scoring the final two points.

The Mules carried the momentum from the late rally into the second set, in which they never trailed. Five different players recorded kills to give Muhlenberg an early 8-6 edge, and a kill from the back row by Faville made it 12-9. The Mules opened up a four-point lead for the first time at 17-13 on an ace by Oehler (pictured above) and led 20-17 before reeling off the final five points of the set to tie the match. Juniors Brooke Shiver and Rachel Jacobs combined on blocks twice in the 5-0 run, and Oehler finished it with a kill.

Gettysburg regrouped and built a 9-3 lead in the third set, keeping the margin comfortable throughout in a 25-17 win. 

The fourth set played out similarly to the first, with Muhlenberg keeping it close after falling behind. It was 20-18 before the Bullets scored the next four points, and they went on to secure the match with a 25-20 win.

Senior Christina Dalton set a career high with 27 assists, adding 9 digs.