(WINCHESTER, Va.) – Wilson nearly scored its biggest win as it took Shenandoah to the edge to cap the ODAC school's tournament over the weekend. The Phoenix held a 2-1 advantage over the hosts who were previously unbeaten on the weekend, but ended up falling in the final two sets.
The Phoenix also played a tight contest with Mary Baldwin to open the day, but ended up falling in straight sets to open the day.
The Basics
Scores: Match 1 - Wilson 0, Mary Baldwin 3 (25-20, 25-17, 25-22)
Match 2 – Wilson 2, Shenandoah 3 (25-10, 22-25, 17-25, 25-14, 15-9)
Venue: Wilkins Athletics & Events Center at Shenandoah University
Records: Wilson 0-6, Mary Baldwin 1-2, Shenandoah 5-3
How It Happened (Match 1 vs. Mary Baldwin)
- Abby Moreland (So., Sabillasville, Md. / Catoctin) helped set the tone early as a pair of aces aided in giving the Phoenix a 5-1 lead. The Squirrels were able to bounce back and tie the game at 8-all before using a 5-0 run of their own to take control. The Blue and White remained in striking distance the rest of the way, especially down the stretch as a pair of Moreland kills made the score 23-20, but MBU secured the last two points for a 1-0 lead.
- The opening of the second set was back and forth as Wilson trailed by one at 8-7 after a kill from Alison Daniels (FY, Lititz, Pa. / Warwick). Mary Baldwin then took control with an 8-0 runThe Phoenix weren't able to recover as MBU took the second set.
- The Phoenix looked to live up to their name and rise up with a fast start in the third that saw them take a 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of Allyson Garcelon (Jr., Shrewsburg, Pa. / Susquehannock) kills and two more Moreland aces. Additional kills from Daniels and Garcelon gave them a 9-4 lead. Although Mary Baldwin rallied to tie it with the next five points, Wilson went back up by four on kills from Niki Schussler (Sr., Chambersburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley Christian) and a pair by Moreland. Wilson led as late as 22-19 after another Moreland kill, but the Squirrels strung together a 6-0 run to take the sweep.
How It Happened (Match 2 vs. Shenandoah)
- A slow start saw the hosts take the first set, but Wilson bounced back in a big way in the second. It didn't appear that way after Shenandoah used an 8-0 run in the middle game to take a 13-8 lead, but the Blue and White fired off the next five points, three of which were Addie Hebert (So., Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettysburg) aces. The set was tied as late as 21-all before a kills from Moreland and aces from both Hebert and Michaela Windisch (So., Westminster, Md. / Catoctin) helped Wilson even the match.
- Momentum carried into the third and saw Wilson use a 6-0 run to take a 16-9 lead. A kill form Menedis and a Daniels ace later put the score at 21-15 before Wilson eventually put the Hornets down on a 4-0 run. Garrcelon helped keep it going with an ace while Amelia Edens (Sr., Pasadena, Md. / Glen Burnie) added a kill.
- Unfortunately, the Hornets appeared rejuvenated in the fourth and quickly jumped out to a 13-3 lead. Even though Wilson tried to claw back with a 5-0 run, Shenandoah took the fourth to even the match once again.
- In the fifth, a pair of Menedis kills helped keep Wilson even at 3-all. The difference came as the Hornets took a 5-0 run for an 11-5 lead to propel the hosts to the comeback win.
Inside The Numbers
- Menedis led the attack with 21 kills overall on the day with 15 coming against Shenandoah. She was strong on the defensive end as well with 14 digs with eight in the opening contest of the day. Menedis served up four aces as well in the nightcap.
- Garcelon had another consistent day with nine kills against MBU and eight more against Shenandoah. Her nine against the Squirrels came on 18 attempts with just one error for an attack rate of .444.
- Wilson served up an incredible 17 aces in the contests with Shenandoah.
- Moreland led the team defensively with 17 digs, none of which came against MBU.
Up Next
The Phoenix are back at home on Tuesday as they host McDaniel. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
