PHOENIXVILLE, PA - The University of Valley Forge Women's Volleyball team has no quit in them. After falling behind early on Tuesday night, they rallied to take down Rosemont College. "
I'm proud of the way the team is learning to overcome adversity and become versatile players," Women's Volleyball Head Coach
Courtney Balban said after their 3-1 (17-25, 25-12, 27-25, 25-21) victory over the Rosemont Ravens. The team was playing with only six players, not having the luxury of any substitutions. Balban continued, "
Freed and Eberly were standouts who led in more ways than just stats. However, it was a total team effort that led to the win. We couldn't have done it without each person making significant contributions. All the girls stepped up tonight!"
It was a rocky first set for the Patriots, falling behind early 10-3. They would eventually get some things going and rally to make it 15-13. However, the Ravens attack would prove too much in set one. Rosemont had several options to attack from and they took advantage. Morgan Rollins led the Ravens with 15 kills, including 5 in the first set. They won the first set comfortably, 25-17.
Determined to put the bad set behind them, the Patriots jumped out to an early 11-4 advantage and didn't look back. They won the second set easily, 25-12.
Tied 1-1, the 3
rd set became the set of the night. Back and forth they went as there were 13 lead changes as the Patriots held a slim lead, 15-14. However, the Ravens went on a 4-0 run and were poised to take control of the set. Trailing 17-22, the Patriots needed some momentum in a hurry! They got it from
Megan Freed as her kill after a long rally brought it to a 4-point margin. Then, back-to-back kills from
Shelby Shepherd and
Brittany Eberly brought it to 20-22. A service ace from
Lindsay LeSueur kept the momentum going and that was followed by another Shepherd kill. All tied up! After a service error from LeSueur, the Patriots needed to get it right back, and they did. The lone senior on the roster, Shepherd, stepped up with another kill to knot it at 23.
It's important to note that
Brittany Eberly was last year's East Region Libero of the Year. Playing the front row had not been something she was used to doing. However, with no option from the bench, Eberly has been thrust into playing all over the court, along with everyone else. With the score tied at 23, Eberly showed what this team was made of, determination and versatility. Her kill off a set from
Maria Albanese, who is a defensive specialist turned setter, made it 24-23 and gave the Patriots a set point. However, the Ravens struck right back, as they had been doing all set long, and tied it with a kill from Leilani Carter. Then it was the freshman's turn,
Megan Freed. Her kill made it 25-24, but then Rollins stepped in with another kill to tie it back up. However, the Patriots were not going to be undone! Eberly stepped up with another kill, followed by an attack error from the Ravens as the Patriots won a thrilling set, 27-25.
With the home crowd behind them, again the Patriots raced out to an early lead, 11-5. They would eventually push the lead to 19-13. The Patriots were doing a good job of forcing the Ravens into errors and taking advantage of the opportunities they were given. They did a good job of staying aggressive and won the 4
th set 25-21.
Being a setter for just the 2
nd game of her career,
Maria Albanese did an excellent job finishing with a career-high 28 assists, 5 digs, and 2 kills. Freshman
Megan Freed continued her hot start as a Patriot, finishing with a team-high 14 kills and 14 digs.
Shelby Shepherd had 5 kills, 3 aces, and 8 digs.
Brittany Eberly had 12 kills, 7 digs, and 3 aces.
The Patriots will look to continue their momentum on Thursday night. They will be at home against Notre Dame of Maryland University at 7PM!
Go Patriots!
