GETTYSBURG, Pa.—Eastern Volleyball cruised through day two of the Gettysburg Battlefield Classic with three-set victories despite having an All-American unavailable for the match.
The Eagles defeated the Washington College (Md.) Shoremen 25-16, 25-8, 25-22 and then in the second match of the doubleheader, defeated the Salve Regina University Seahawks 25-18, 25-18, 25-9. All-American setter Rikki Schlager was scratched from the lineup before the game because of an injury, leaving freshman defensive specialist Miranda Kauffman with the setting role. Kauffman performed admirably, dishing out 30 assists in the first game and 35 more in the second game. While there appeared to be a few spots where the synchronization of the offensive attack and the setting game was a bit off in the beginning, by the final set of the day, Kauffman and the hitters were definitely on the same page as evidenced by the Eagles' .650 hitting percentage.
The Eagles hit .196 in the match against the Shoremen, somewhat below average, but followed up with a .360 rate against the Seahawks. The Shoreman finished with an -0.011 attack percentage while the Seahawks weren't much better; they hit .012 for the match
Eastern middle hitter Stephanie Elechko had double-digit kills in both matches and hit .462 for the day (22 kills, four errors, 39 attacks) with 11 blocks. She represented Eastern on the All-Tournament team.
Fellow sophomore Alicia Weigel had a strong match against Washington, hitting .389 with eight kills. She added five more kills in game two.
After stomping the Shoremen 25-8 in the second set, the Eagles lead slipped to 23-22 in the third set. However, the Eagles finished off the match with kills by Erin Hillman and Elechko. Hillman accumulated 17 kills and 20 digs over the two matches.
With the wins, the Eagles improved to 4-0 after the weekend and head coach Mark Birtwistle earned his 599th career victory. Birtwistle, who has a 599-198 career record will try for win number 600 against No. 25 Christopher Newport University on Friday.
Box Score vs. Washington
Box Score vs. Salve Regina
