ALBION, MI -- The Albion College volleyball team wrapped up a perfect opening weekend at home with a pair of wins over Elmhurst University and Anderson University to close out the Albion Invitational.
Match 1 - Albion 3, Elmhurst 1 (25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 25-20)
Albion battled a tough Elmhurst squad in the opening match of the day. The tilt featured 20 tied scores and 13 lead changes as neither side gained much seperation from the other. After dropping the second set, the Britons seized the momentum with a 27-25 win in a back-and-forth third frame. After the teams traded points to open the match, the Bluejays opened a 21-16 edge. Albion rattled off three-straight points behind kills from Margaret Jones, Ava Wilcox, and Kayda Herrick to force an Elmhurst timeout.
Carly Frank later leveled the score at 25-25 with one of her six kills of the set, sparking a 3-0 run to close out the set win for Albion. The fourth and final stanza featured more of the same, but a 6-0 run feuled by a pair of kills from Herrick allowed the Britons to pull away with a six point lead before wrapping up the set and match with a 25-20 victory.
Frank finished with a match-best 12 kills and a .333 attack percentage. Herrick finished one dig shy of a double-double with 10 kills and 9 digs. On the defensive side, Paige Williamson paced Albion with 15 digs, while Emma Pagliarella tallied a team-high four blocks. Molly Edmunds chipped in a match-high 35 assists.
Match 2 - Albion 3, Anderson 0 (25-16, 25-20, 26-24)
The Britons kept the good times rolling inside of Kresge Gymnasium with a straight-sets sweep of Anderson. Albion pummeled the Ravens in the opening set to the tune of 13 kills and a .345 team attack percentage en route to a 25-16 win. After fending off Anderson in the second set behind four kills from Jones, the Ravens pushed the Brits in the final frame of the tilt.
A service ace from Edmunds gave the Britons a 12-8 edge early in the set. Anderson battled back with a 6-0 run to pull ahead, 20-16. A pair of kills from Herrick powered a 4-0 run to push the Britons back into the lead at 23-22. After some back and forth, Frank and Edmunds each floored a kill to close out the set for the Britons, 26-24.
Edmunds orchestrated Albion's offensive barrage with a career-high 37 assists to go along with seven digs and a pair of blocks. With 11 kills, Frank finished in double-digits for the third-straight match. Herrick posted a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Williamson finished with a match-best 15 digs.
Up Next
The Britons kick-off a 10-match road trip on Friday, September 5, against Ohio Wesleyan University at the MIAA/NCAC Crossover. First serve is scheduled for 5 pm.
