Baltimore, MD – After a first match sweep, the Patriots fell to the Notre Dame of Maryland Gators 3-0 (6-25, 10-25, 9-25) in their last match of the afternoon.
In their second match, the Patriots would attempt to find solid ground but struggled to find force at the net as they tallied a -.036 attacking percentage. The Gators posted a 58-8 gain on points, 34-7 on kills, and 22-1 on service aces. The split leaves Valley Forge at 3-11 overall on the season.
Match One: Valley Forge 3, Medgar Evers 0
The Patriots came out swinging as they swept the Cougars of Medgar Evers College 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-19). As a team, the Patriots gathered 36 kills, 35 assists, and 16 service aces. Senior
Kaitlyn Hess led the Patriots, collecting 12 kills, 15 assists, and 20 digs, while
Hannah Hawryluk lead the team in service aces (4).
In the opening set, the Patriots gained a quick 6-1 lead from three service aces from
Kaitlyn Hess and a handful of Cougar errors. Medgar Evers would then tally up a slight run, tying the game 7-7. With an active back-and-forth game, the Patriots made an appearance at the net, breaking away 16-11. Valley Forge would remain steady control to close out the first set 25-19.
The Cougars looked for revenge in the second set as they took advantage of a 5-1 benefit from a couple kills and service aces. However, the Patriots would slowly build up their momentum to tie the set 10-10. Valley Forge would break open, collecting seven kills, and five aces to shut down the Cougars and take the second set 25-20.
In the third set, it was a steady battle as both teams were able to collect a few kills along with committing a couple errors. The Patriots found themselves in a 3-point hole as they trailed the Cougars 15-18, but that would shortly change from the help of two kills from
Jasmine Vargas, a solo kill from
Kaitlyn Hess and
Mariah Straker, and four detrimental service aces from
Hannah Hawryluk, giving the Patriots a 24-19 advantage. The set would then end on a big kill from Hess, finalizing the sweep with a 25-19 final score.
"Our goal was to put into motion what we have been working on in practice," head coach
Jessica Rink stated. "It paid off and the ladies pulled out a win in our first game. Although we knew the second match would be an uphill battle, the ladies stuck with the hard hits and continued to play their best that they could against the 2018 CSAC Conference Champions."
The Patriots will look to improve on their season as they host FDU Florham on Monday, September 30
th at 7 p.m.
