A 15-point victory in the first set propelled the Muhlenberg Mules to a sweep of Centennial Conference foe McDaniel on Saturday afternoon.
That 25-10 rout in the first set came quickly for the visitors, who ended the bout on a 12-3 run.
Lizzie Steinkamp and
Andrea Romero-Agosto (pictured) each contributed four kills, and Romero-Agosto earned Muhlenberg's final three points with a kill.
McDaniel fought back early in the second set, holding an early lead and keeping the game even at 12-12. From that point on, however, the Mules regained control, winning 13 of the next 18 points while led by Steinkamp's three kills. Those kills, paired with multiple Green Terror miscues and a pair of service aces, put Muhlenberg in control of the match. The visitors swiftly took an 18-8 lead on an
Abigail Oswari swat before staving off a brief McDaniel comeback to finish the sweep in set three.
Steinkamp shined all afternoon and managed to rack up 13 kills thanks to an outstanding .522 hitting percentage. The freshman was one of four Mules to record hitting percentages greater than .450 in the match. Romero-Agosto totaled nine kills with a mark of .615, Oswari had seven on a .750 hitting percentage, and
Olivia Bruno finished with six and a percentage of .455. That quartet combined for 35 kills of Muhlenberg's 41, or over 85%.
Setters
Jenny Ryan and
Maddy Budris were key to generating all that efficient offense, totaling 21 and 16 assists, respectively. Budris also notched three service aces, second on the team to Oswari, who had four.
The win improves Muhlenberg's conference record to 3-5, while McDaniel falls to 1-7. The Mules ascend to seventh in the standings and are within striking distance of the two teams ahead of them (Dickinson and Gettysburg, both with 4-4 records). The top six teams make it to the Centennial Conference Playoff Tournament.
