GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Ursinus College volleyball team showed off its resiliency on Thursday night, overcoming a one-set deficit and claiming a tight third frame en route to a 21-25, 25-17, 26-24, 25-15 victory at Gwynedd Mercy.
Rachel Bernard handed out 37 assists, many of them going to Katie Cressman (13 kills), Haley Spotts (12), and Caroline Sherman (11) as the Bears (3-1) rebounded from their first loss of the season on Tuesday.
The first set was all even at 14 before the Griffins (1-3) claimed six consecutive points to gain enough separation. The Bears battled back in the second, running off seven straight points on the serve of Evangeline Nesslage to turn a 4-4 stalemate into a runaway.
The decisive third set was a seesaw affair. Gwynedd Mercy looked set to take a 2-1 advantage with a 20-17 lead, but Ursinus turned the tables with a six-point spurt punctuated by back-to-back clutch kills from Spotts. The sophomore came up huge again, staving off set point with a kill after the Griffins had taken a 24-23 lead, and Spotts polished off the set with another kill after one by Gabby McGinn to put the Bears on track for a victory.
Ursinus trailed 5-3 in the fourth before seizing six points in a row, and they never looked back in their road opener.
Emma Illovsky had 18 digs for the Bears, while Luca Walborn provided 15 to go with six assists. Nesslage finished with eight kills, four digs, and two blocks.
Bernard tallied nine digs, just missing a double-double.
The Bears have the weekend off before heading to Cedar Crest next Tuesday.