Megan McNaul vs. Carnegie Mellon 9/18/15
Matthew O'Haren
3
Winner Messiah MESSVB 21-2
0
Elizabethtown ETWN-W 13-10
Winner
Messiah MESSVB
21-2
3
Final
0
Elizabethtown ETWN-W
13-10
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Messiah MESSVB 25 25 25 (3)
Elizabethtown ETWN-W 19 17 17 (0)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Attacking woes cost Blue Jays in loss to Messiah

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Elizabethtown did itself no favors Wednesday evening against a 20-win Messiah side. The Blue Jays were slowed by their poorest offensive night of the season in a 3-0 loss (25-19, 25-17, 25-17) to the Falcons at Daubert Gymnasium.

Mackenzie Garner led the Blue Jays (13-10) with 11 kills, but it wasn't enough to overcome Elizabethtown's negative hitting percentages in the first and third sets.

E-town had its moments, just not enough of them. Already trailing 9-8 in the first, the Jays watched Messiah string together six straight points, before rallying to within a point on kills from Garner, Sarah Schneider and Victoria Leidy, a block from Garner and Leidy and an Anna Simpson service ace. Elizabethtown was unable to capitalize on the momentum, however, as Messiah went on to score six of the next seven points.

Three Garner kills and a block, plus an ace from Juliana Mowen helped the Blue and Gray shoot out to a 7-1 lead in the second set, but it went by the wayside when the Falcons ripped off a 7-1 run shortly thereafter to tie the score at 10.

It was Messiah starting fast in the third, and the Falcons led by as many as nine points (15-6) before claiming an eight-point victory to secure the match.

Jane Underman presented problems for the Blue Jays all night with a match-high 15 kills on 28 attempts (.536). Underman went without an attacking error on the night. Teammate Kristen Douglas had 10 kills and 11 digs for a double-double, while Brooke Gallagher recorded her own double-double with 32 assists and 13 digs.

Garner was the only Blue Jay in double figures kills-wise. Schneider totaled four, with Leidy and Mowen picking up three each. Illustrating how tough a night it was for Elizabethtown, the team hit negative (25-27-120, -.017) for the first time since the Scranton match last Oct 4, a span of 33 matches.

Megan McNaul put in a strong effort on defense with a match-high 16 digs, while Steph High assisted 18 of the Jays' 25 kills and added eight digs. Brynne Kirsch and Shannon Deck were each credited with seven digs.

Elizabethtown's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, but they'll try to take care of their own job Saturday when they travel to Catholic for the final Landmark Conference weekend. The Blue Jays face Catholic at 11 a.m. and Goucher at 4 p.m., needing two wins and two Moravian losses to claim the fourth seed.
 
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