The Muhlenberg women's volleyball team stormed back from a two-set deficit to force a decisive fifth set before falling 3-2 at Swarthmore Friday evening.
The Mules pushed the Garnet to the brink in set two, forcing overtime before their Centennial Conference foe eventually won the bout 28-26. The visitors then fell behind quickly in the next set, but got back on track with a 13-4 run bolstered by three kills from
Kelliann Keogh. The senior was a force in that set as a whole, totaling five of her 10 kills in that one, including the winning point.
Muhlenberg rode the hot hand of its kill artists in the fourth set, totaling 18 putaways as a team on a crisp .308 hitting percentage. The Mules held the lead throughout the entire set, but were never able to take a lead of more than six points. Those kills were spread throughout the lineup, with sophomore
Andrea Romero-Agosto leading the way with five while
Lizzie Steinkamp and
Abigail Oswari had four apiece.
Oswari led all Muhlenberg players in kills for the match with 17. Steinkamp was the third Mule in double figures with 11, while Romero-Agosto fell just one short of joining them with nine. Senior
Jenny Ryan was the primary beneficiary of all of those kills, as she racked up 31 assists (two off of her season high of 33).
Fellow senior
Chloe Gaglione matched that number with digs and was one of four players in double digits in that category (Oswari, Ryan, and
Bailey Crampton). Those 31 digs represent a career high for Gaglione, blowing past her previous best of 19 set twice last season.
