The Muhlenberg volleyball team swept Alvernia in three sets to head into Centennial Conference play with a .500 record.
Less than 24 hours after sweeping Oswego in the opener of the two-day tri-match, the Mules (8-8) dispatched the Golden Wolves, 25-14, 25-19, 25-15. They won the six sets by an average of more than seven points, hitting .254 while holding their two opponents to .045 hitting.
Senior
Jenny Ryan served an ace on the opening point of the Alvernia match, and Muhlenberg was off and running. The Mules scored seven of the first eight points and were ahead 11-6 before going on a 10-1 run behind the serving of Ryan and senior
Chloe Gaglione to open up a big 21-7 advantage.
A big run also keyed the second set. Muhlenberg was clinging to a 7-6 lead before a 7-1 run upped the advantage to 14-7. The surge was capped by an incredible point in which Gaglione and juniors
Emma Laskaj and
Abigail Oswari dove to keep the ball alive. The long rally finally ended with a kill by Oswari.
Sophomore
Bailey Crampton scored the first six points of the third set, with two coming on aces and senior
Kelliann Keogh and freshman
Lizzie Steinkamp adding kills. Back-to-back kills by Steinkamp, one on a putback of an overpass, and another by sophomore
Andrea Romero-Agosto made it 20-8 at one point. Steinkamp put down her match-high 11th kill to complete the sweep.
Oswari finished with 9 kills, adding a season-high 17 digs - three more than her previous career high for a three-set match. Romero-Agosto, who also notched 4 blocks, and junior
Ansley Asche recorded 6 kills apiece.
Crampton
(pictured above) led the offense with 16 assists, one more than Ryan. Gaglione topped the back-row players with 16 digs.
The win improved Muhlenberg's all-time record against Alvernia to 20-0, although the teams hadn't faced each other since 2015. Alvernia is the opponent the Mules have defeated the most without a loss.Â
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