CARLISLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College volleyball team was dealt a 3-0 sweep at Dickinson on Saturday before bouncing back with a five-set victory over Lancaster Bible to salvage a split of its tri-match in Carlisle.

Dickinson 3, Ursinus 0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-20)

The Bears never found a foothold against the host Red Devils, who jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set and never looked back.

The second and third sets were much closer, but Dickinson got the best of the critical points. Ursinus trailed just 22-21 in the second after a kill by senior Allison Raff, but Erin Bongo's kill preceded back-to-back aces by Kristin Allgaier as the Red Devils secured a 25-21 decision.

Ursinus fell behind 10-3 in the third before battling back to within three points on four occasions, including at 23-20. A kill from Megan Gombatz and an ace from Jamie Singer sealed the sweep.

Raff and sophomore Miranda Foster led the Bears with seven kills apiece, and sophomore Kelly Piotrowicz handed out 21 assists.

Ursinus 3, Lancaster Bible 2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-15, 21-25, 15-12)

The Bears dug out of a 3-0 deficit in the deciding set against the Chargers. They did it with a run of four consecutive points, featuring kills by senior Taylor McCartney and Foster, and ran off another four-point spurt after falling behind 6-5. A pair of kills by Raff bookended back-to-back errors for Lancaster Bible, and the Bears were ahead to stay. A kill by McCartney made it 14-11, and Ursinus prevailed on a Chargers error on its second match point.

Raff spearheaded a dominant hitting performance by the Bears, leading four players in double digits with 16 kills and adding 21 digs for another double-double. McCartney matched freshman Emily Harris with 12 kills, and Piotrowicz had 10. Harris' kill total was nine more than her previous season best. Foster nearly became the fith Bear with double-digit kills, finishing with nine.

Freshman Paige DeAlba joined Raff and Piotrowicz (25 assists) with a double-double with 30 assists and 12 digs. Junior Sydney Gonzalez hustled her way to 18 digs.

Ursinus was down 21-18 in the first, but rallied back with seven unanswered points – two of them on kills by McCartney – to stun the Chargers with a 25-21 decision.

In the third, the Bears pulled away with an 11-2 run that gave them a 19-9 advantage. Harris had four kills during the burst. Consecutive kills by Raff granted Ursinus a set point at 24-15, and Piotrowicz converted it with an ace.

After a fourth-set defeat, the Bears had the goods to come away with their second five-set victory of the season.

Up Next

The Bears host Haverford in Centennial Conference action on Wednesday, October 4.