COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- Elizabethtown amassed 11 service aces and committed only nine attacking errors, clinching back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013 with a 3-0 sweep at Ursinus Thursday night.
Senior defensive specialist
Katie Kennedy tied a career-high with six aces, freshman setter
Rileigh Hudock continued her climb towards 1,000 assists and senior middle hitter
Mackenzie Garner surpassed 1,200 career kills with a match-high 14.
The Blue Jays (18-15) got off to quick starts in all three sets and the Bears provided little resistance in the 25-16, 25-20, 25-12 sweep.
Ursinus (9-18) opened the match with a kill, but Garner answered with three,
Kelli Garriott had one and Kennedy provided an ace as the Blue Jays scored the next seven points and never trailed in the set again.
E-town hit .375 in the first set (14 kills-2 errors-32 attempts) and was even better to close out the match. The guests collected 13 kills against a lone error for a .571 rate. The Blue Jays' .366 percentage for the match (39-9-82) was its second highest of the season.
Garner was a major proponent of Elizabethtown's offensive success. She hit .545 (14-2-22) and also had four blocks (one solo). Garriott and
Sarah Schneider each totaled six kills, while
Marisa Krinock and
Elle Shatto had five apiece.
Hudock is 45 assists shy of 1,000 heading into the final weekend of the regular season. E-town faces Moravian and Susquehanna on Saturday. The Blue Jays haven't had a player with 1,000 assists in a season since 2011.
Sophomore libero
Aiyana Tietze-Di Toro registered a match-high 15 digs.
The Blue Jays can secure their first 20-win season since 2012 with a pair of wins Saturday.