COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College volleyball team got back on the winning side of things on Tuesday night by way of a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-23) victory over visiting Marywood.
The Bears (3-4) may have won each set, but every point was a battle against the Pacers (0-6).
Ursinus had a bit of luck go its way at the end of the first set. While ahead 23-16, the Pacers fought to make the score 23-21 before a pair of errors cost the Pacers a shot at winning the set.
Marywood had a pair of mishaps that cost the team the second set as well. Following two kills from freshman Jayme Callum, the Pacers committed a handling violation and then an attack error, giving the Bears the second set.
Ursinus took care of business in the final set, though, with sophomore Miranda Foster putting the finishing touches on a hard-fought victory by recording two of the final three points on sets from freshman Paige DeAlba.
Foster finished the match with five kills, while DeAlba had all but three of the team's assists, with 24 total.
Senior Allison Raff led the way for Ursinus, tallying team highs in digs (12) and kills (8). Several of the captain's digs forced her to hit the floor to save the point. It was the fourth match in a row that Raff has contributed double-digit digs. She also had a pair of aces for the third time in the last four contests.
Sophomore Lauren Novotny has stepped up recently, garnering more playing time from coach Cecily Scavicchio. Novotny has played every set since the second match of the Bears' appearance in the Catholic University Tournament on September 8. She showed why she deserves the additional minutes on the floor by recording a team-leading three aces – the second time she's done so in the last three contests. She also added seven digs – good enough for the third-best total for Ursinus.
The Bears are now 2-1 at Helfferich Hall, notching their first victory at home since the season-opening 3-1 win against Albright (9/1).
Ursinus travels to Neumann on Friday to compete in the Knights Invitational, where the Bears will face off against Neumann and Moravian. Their next matches at Helfferich Hall are on Saturday, when the team will celebrate Homecoming by battling Rowan and Trinity (D.C.).
