COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College volleyball team shook off a first-set defeat – and a lengthy drought – with a strong finish against Bryn Mawr on Wednesday, snapping a 20-match Centennial Conference losing streak with a 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-9 victory inside Helfferich Hall.
Junior outside hitter Allison Raff racked up 18 kills and 21 digs for the Bears (7-5, 1-3), who defeated a CC opponent for the first time since a five-set defeat of the Owls (2-9, 0-3) in 2014.
Sophomore Sydney Gonzalez (five) and Raff (four) combined for nine of Ursinus' season-high 17 aces. The Bears hit .215 for the match, including a sparkling .478 (12K-1E-23TA) mark in the runaway fourth set.
Freshman Kelly Piotrowicz was impressive again, totaling 30 assists, nine kills, and six digs in another remarkable all-around performance. Piotrowicz got plenty of help from her fellow rookies, as Miranda Foster registered five kills and Lydia Pierce put down the first two kills of her career. Lauren Novotny had three kills and a dig.
Sophomore Grace LaDelfa also recorded five kills.
The Bears dropped the first set, 25-20, and faced a 6-4 deficit in the second before turning a corner. A five-point service run by Raff, which featured three aces, kick-started a 13-3 spurt that put the home side in a good spot to even the match, 25-17.
The Owls led 16-14 in the pivotal third set, until senior Emily van Mulbregt served six consecutive points to put Ursinus in the driver's seat. Piotrowicz had back-to-back kills during the burst, punctuated by a van Mulbregt ace, and Raff eventually polished off the set with a booming kill.
With all the momentum on their side, the Bears had no trouble putting the match away. Raff began the fourth set with two straight kills and Ursinus never looked back. Senior Danielle Kenny served an ace on match point to clinch the Bears' first conference triumph in two years.
Camille Baechler and Caroline Cosby posted 11 kills each for the Owls, and Allie Nagelski hustled to 22 digs.
Ursinus plays the second end of a back-to-back with a trip to Penn-State Berks on Thursday night.
