The University of Scranton women's volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to defeat Brandeis University, 3-2, in a five-set thriller in their first of two games Saturday at the MIT Invitational. The Royals dropped the second game of the series to No. 7 MIT, 3-0.
Game 1 vs Brandeis
The Basics
- Set Series: Scranton 3, Brandeis 2 (16-25, 25-14, 25-18, 24-26, 15-10)
- Records: Scranton (4-2), Brandeis (2-4)
How It Happened
First Set
- Brandeis built an early lead, but the Royals rallied back to a 7-7 tie, fueled off of back-to-back kills from Freshman Angela Bush.
- A string of Brandeis kills pushed the lead to six, and the Judges closed the set on a 4-0 run to take it, 25-16.
Second Set
- The Royals rolled out to a 12-5 advantage behind kills from Freshman Andie Fortmeyer and Bush and a service ace from Sophomore Adria Vargas. The judges chipped away but never got closer than five points, as Scranton finished off the set, 25-14.
Third Set
- Scranton again jumped out early, building a 12-4 cushion with Fortmeyer contributing four kills during the surge.
- Brandeis clawed back within a few points late, pulling as close as 24-18, but Scranton closed out the set, 25-18.
Fourth Set
- The fourth set was tight throughout, with the two sides trading the lead and tying the score at 22-22 and again at 24-24.
- Brandeis answered with a service ace and a kill to escape with the extra-point win, 26-24, and force a deciding set.
Fifth Set
- In the decisive fifth, the teams traded points through several early ties before Senior Cammi Quirk took over at the service line, ripping off back-to-back aces to help fuel a 4-0 Scranton run, that turned a 7-7 deadlock into an 11-7 cushion.
- The Royals held on from there to close out the match, 15-10.
Top Performers
By the Numbers
- The Royals totaled 55 kills and 51 assists, hitting .286 as a team
- Scranton served up 13 service aces
- The match featured 18 ties and 13 lead changes across the five sets
Game 2 vs No. 7 MIT
The Basics
- Set Series: No. 7 MIT 3, Scranton 0 (25-22, 25-19, 27-25)
- Records: Scranton (4-3), No. 7 MIT (6-0),
How It Happened
First Set
- MIT built an early 13-6 lead, but key plays from Freshman Kasia Burda, including a shared block with Fortmeyer and a kill, helped bring the Royals within three.
- Scranton clawed all the way back, tying the set at 20-20, but the Engineers closed with a 4-1 finish to escape with the opener, 25-22.
Second Set
- Scranton came out strong, jumping ahead 3-0 to start, but MIT answered by reeling off points behind back-to-back service aces.
- Forced errors kept the Royals alive, but MIT pulled away down the stretch to take the set, 25-19.
Third Set
- The third set was closely contested, with the two teams trading points through 15 ties and four lead changes.
- A four-point charge from Scranton pulled the Royals ahead, 16-13.
- The Engineers answered, and the game was knotted at 24-24.
- A timely kill from Vargas gave Scranton a 25-24 edge, but MIT answered right back to tie it at 25-25.
- The Engineers closed out the set and match, 27-25.
Top Performers
By the Numbers
- Scranton hit .217 as a team with 37 kills against 14 errors
- The Royals out-blocked MIT, 6-3
- The match featured 21 ties and 5 lead changes across three sets
Up Next
The Royals will host the Electric City Invitational Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19. Action will begin at 7:00 PM on Friday in the Long Center, as Scranton will take on Hartwick.
