SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Ursinus College volleyball team gave Swarthmore a battle in the first and third sets, but the preseason Centennial Conference favorites lived up to their lofty billing in a 3-0 sweep in the league opener for both programs. The Garnet overcame a late Bear advantage to take the first set 25-21 before dominating the second, 25-6, and holding off the visitors for a 25-22 tally in the third and final frame.

Junior Allison Raff paced Ursinus (4-3, 0-1) with six kills and 12 digs, leading the team in kills for the seventh consecutive match to open the campaign.

The Bears gave the home side a major scare in the opening set, leading as late as 19-17 after a service error by Swarthmore (4-1, 1-0). But three kills – two of them by defending CC Player of the Year Sarah Wallace – and three attack errors by Ursinus comprised a run of six unanswered points for the Garnet, who closed out the frame on a kill by Mehra den Braven.

Ursinus struggled in the second set, committing 13 attack errors without a kill as the Garnet finished on a 17-2 run to take a commanding lead. But the Bears responded in the third, storming out to a 13-7 lead after a kill by freshman Kelly Piotrowicz. Swarthmore countered with a 5-0 run of its own to get within one before kills from junior Taylor McCartney and Raff preceded a hitting error that made it 16-12 in favor of Ursinus.

Unfortunately, the Garnet pulled even at 17-apiece and, after a service error gifted the Bears one last lead, the hosts ran off six points in a row (two of them on aces by Sarah Girard) and held on for a 25-22 decision to polish off the sweep.

Sophomore Sydney Gonzalez led Ursinus with 15 digs, while Piotrowicz posted a team-best 14 assists, five digs, and three kills. Sophomore Grace LaDelfa had four kills and an assisted block.

Wallace led all players with 11 kills and tacked on 11 digs to pull down a double-double, while Elise Cummings joined her on the strength of 13 assists and 11 digs. Cummings and Malia Scott (17) combined to hand out 30 assists.

Girard was responsible for three of the Garnet's eight aces and chipped in eight digs.

The volleyball team returns to action with a non-conference match at Immaculata on Tuesday, September 13.