ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - With a convincing 3-0 win over the fourth seeded Misericordia University Cougars, Eastern Volleyball advanced to the MAC Freedom Championship match for the eighth time in eight tries. The Eagles hit .359 for the match and limited the Cougars to only 10 kills.
The Eagles (27-7) took the first set 25-13. Six different Eastern players recorded kills as the team hit .310 in the set. Misericordia called a timeout down 22-8. The Cougars earned several points on serve, but the Eagles were able to close out the set on a kill from
Kaitlyn Gochenauer and a Misericordia hitting error.
In the second set, the Eastern service-game dominated as the Eagles recorded seven aces. Eastern used a 10-0 run on to jump out to a 13-3 lead.
Erin Hillman was dominant from the service line. The senior outside hitter recorded four aces, including three in a row, in the ten-point run. The Cougars were not able to get Hillman off the service line until she hit a jump-serve into the net. Beyond the aces, thetough Eastern serves put the Cougars on their heels and kept them from generating an attack.
With tips and rolls coming over the net, Eastern hit .428 in the second set. The Cougars, meanwhile, hit -.154.
Eastern closed out the match with a 25-10 victory in the third set. The Eagles hit .423 for the set and limited Misericordia to three kills in the final frame. In anticipation of the week ahead, the Eagles had spent much of the week in practice working on picking up tips and shots to corners. Led by
Rylie Haas with 19 digs, the Eastern defense kept the Cougars from scoring without attacking aggressively.
When the Cougars did try to swing,
Michelle Paulsen and
Sarah Roberts led the way with an imposing block at the net. The two first-year middles combined with their older teammates to keep the Cougars from finding the floor. Roberts finished with a game-high six total blocks.
Stephanie Elechko led the Eagles with 11 kills.
Rikki Schlager finished with 25 assists.
Eastern, ranked 16th in the most recent AVCA National poll, will host DeSales at 2 pm on Saturday for the MAC Freedom Championship. The two teams have met in the MAC Freedom Championship match in seven of the eight seasons that Eastern has been in the league. The MAC Freedom Champion earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
