SCRANTON, PA — The University of Scranton women's volleyball team capped off its opening weekend with a dominant win over the University of Mary Washington before falling in a hard-fought five-set battle to Misericordia University on Saturday at the John Long Center.

Match #1 (W, 3-0 vs Mary Washington)

The Royals started the day strong, sweeping Mary Washington in three straight sets (25-11, 25-17, 25-22) for their first win of the season.

Freshman Adria Vargas led the Royals with 11 kills, while senior Deanna Whelpley chipped in 10. Junior Cammi Quirk set the tone with a match-high 28 assists, and senior Maddie Forry delivered a career-best 7 aces from the service line.

Scranton controlled the pace from the start, hitting an impressive .321 in the opening set. The Royals kept their foot on the gas in set two, holding the Eagles to a .118 attack percentage. The final frame was the closest of the three, but Scranton's balanced offense and strong defensive presence sealed the sweep.

Senior Camryn Hoffman anchored the back row with 12 digs, while Vargas and Forry added 9 and 8 respectively.

Match #2 (L, 2-3 vs Misericordia)

In the nightcap, the Royals took an early lead but fell in a five-set thriller against Misericordia (25-20, 18-25, 25-15, 26-28, 8-15).

Whelpley turned in a standout performance with a career-high 24 kills, while Vargas added 11 more. Quirk continued to facilitate the offense with an impressive 51 assists, and Forry once again led defensively with 23 digs.

Scranton took the first and third sets convincingly, hitting .370 in the third. The fourth set proved to be the turning point, with the Cougars narrowly edging the Royals in extra points, 28-26. Despite early momentum, Scranton couldn't recover in the fifth.

Sophomore Danielle Kramer and senior Gwen Koester were strong at the net with a combined 5 blocks.

Vargas was named to the All-Tournament team after her strong performance this weekend.

Up Next

The Royals return to action next weekend at Haverford College.