(BALTIMORE) – There was plenty of excitement in Wilson's United East opener at Notre Dame as the two rivals battled through a five-set thriller. Unfortunately the Phoenix came up on the short end as the Gators rallied to win the fourth and fifth sets to take the victory.

Abby Moreland (Sr., Sabillasville, Md. / Catoctin), Jayda Licthy (FY, Hanover, Pa. / Southwestern), and Hannah Pollard (FY, Wilmington, N.C. / Wilmington Christian) all recorded 13 kills to lead the offense quarterbacked by an exceptional match from Tracey Sydney (So., York, Pa. / Penn State Mont Alto). Lichty put up a double-double while she was joined by Addie Hebert (Sr., Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettysburg) and Alison Daniels (Jr., Lititz, Pa. / Warwick) as leaders on the defensive side.

The Basics

Scores: Wilson 2, Notre Dame 3 (25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-10)

Venue: Knott Sports Complex

Records: Wilson 0-12, 0-1 UE; Notre Dame 6-7, 1-0 UE

How It Happened

• It was clear from the start that there was a lot of fight in the Phoenix. Down six, Tracey found an open spot for a kill to spark a 5-1 run to get Wilson back within two at 22-20. Kills from Pollard and Lichty answered a pair of Gators points to stay within two before the hosts closed out the first on a Bryanna Carter kill.
• Wilson kept up the fight in the second and jumped out to a 12-4 lead with Moreland registering a pair of kills and an ace. Notre Dame chipped away and got back within two at 19-17 before Lichty got the Phoenix back on track with back-to-back kills. Another Lichty kill along with errors by the Gators helped the Phoenix pull even at one set each.
• Another great start by the Blue and White resulted in a 9-4 lead in the third. Lichty and Pollard had an early block to generate momentum while Moreland and Tracey added kills. Later in the set Daniels sparked a small rally with a kill followed by a Michaela Windisch (Sr., Westminster, Md. / Catoctin) ace to help push the score to 18-12. Lichty, Pollard, and Daniels all added kills down the stretch as the Phoenix pulled away for a 2-1 set lead.
• The fourth saw both teams even at 13-all before Notre Dame took control with a 12-3 run to even the match. The momentum rolled over to the fifth where the Gators took a 5-1 lead and pushed it to 10-4. Wilson didn't give up and stayed alive late with kills from Lichty and Pollard along with a Pollard block before Notre Dame closed it out.

Inside The Numbers

• Pollard was exceptional offensively as she chalked up her baker's dozen while hitting .619 for the afternoon. Defensively she was a force up front as well with four blocks.
• Lichty's double-double consisted of 13 kills and 11 digs. Moreland wasn't far behind with 13 kills and seven digs.
• Hebert and Daniels joined Lichty in double figures on the receiving end with 16 and 14 digs, respectively.
• Tracey set up the attack with 40 assists.
• The Gators were led by the two-headed giant consisting of Kaliyah Brown and Carter. Brown led the team with 18 kills while Carter was one shy of that with 17.

Up Next
Wilson will be back at home as they host Penn State Mont Alto for the final time in a non-conference Franklin County showdown. First serve is set for 7 p.m.