ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – Eastern University Volleyball beat the visiting DeSales University Bulldogs in straight sets to earn the program's eighth consecutive MAC Freedom Title.
Stephanie Elechko recorded ten kills and was named as the championship's Most Outstanding Player.
The No. 16 Eagles hit an impressive .324 in the opening set. Elechko was dominant with five kills on only seven attacks as the Eagles grabbed control of the set with a 6-1 run midway through. The Bulldogs (22-11) hit only .029 and were unable to put enough pressure on the Eastern defense to get the Eagles out of system.
Alicia Weigel registered four kills when Elechko had rotated out of the match. Eastern ran off the final six points to claim 25-13 win.
DeSales took advantage of a couple critical rotations to build a 20-17 lead in the second set. Last year in the regular season match in Center Valley, the Bulldogs became the only league team to take a set off the Eagles since Eastern joined the MAC Freedom in 2008. The Bulldogs forced a timeout and seemed poised to repeat that feat in the critical second set.
Out of the timeout, Weigel and
Sarah Roberts combined on a huge block to move the rotation forward. The Bulldogs earned a quick side-out on a defensive mistake on an overpass, but the Eagles earned the serve right back on a kill from
Michelle Paulsen.
Senior setter
Rikki Schlager stepped to the service line with her team trailing 21-19. The two-time MAC Freedom Player of the Year delivered a beautiful short serve for an ace. The Eagles rode that momentum to a 25-22 win in the set. Weigel had a kill and a huge solo block in the final five points.
Lauren Horst finished the set with an ace that landed inches inside the back corner.
"We basically just said we need to execute better, "Head Coach
Mark Birtwistle said, "They were matching our energy and were digging a lot of balls so we had to be patient and execute."
With the game moving in the right direction, the Eagles built a 22-11 lead in the final set. The Bulldogs rallied briefly, but the deficit was too great.
Erin Hillman delivered the final kill to give the Eagles their eighth MAC Freedom Title.
"It is always exciting to win the conference and defend our titles," Birtwistle said. "[They] work very hard during the year to prepare themselves to succeed and it was nice to see them play with energy and effort. We hope that we continue to make the EU community and athletic department proud of the way we play and represent Eastern."
Rylie Haas led the Eastern defense with 19 digs, and
Michelle Paulsen had three aces. The Eagles' defense held the Bulldogs to a -.016 hitting percentage. With Haas,
Alexis Harbold, and
Miranda Kauffman digging balls and the presence of Paulsen, Roberts, and
Kaitlyn Gochenauer in the middle of the big Eastern block, the Eagles held league opponents to a negative hitting percentage for the year.
"I was proud of them and their effort," Birtwistle concluded. "I told them that it was a great comeback in the second and that we have great serving from Rikki and Lauren. We talked about the errors we had and said that its unrealistic to think we won't make mistakes but it's important how we respond to mistakes. If we can continue to respond in a positive way and keep our eyes focused on our specific jobs, then that can give us confidence as we move forward."
The Eagles will learn their next opponent on the NCAA Selection Show Monday morning at 11am.
