ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Volleyball started its twelfth and final trip through the MAC Freedom with an important four-set win over DeSales. The Eagles (6-5, 1-0 MAC Freedom) and Bulldogs (4-5, 0-1 MAC Freedom) have met in ten-of-11 MAC Freedom Championship matches since Eastern  joined the league, and with regular-season wins the past two seasons, DeSales has been the only league school to beat the Eagles.

How It Happened:
After the Bulldogs scored five points in a row to grab a 21-20 lead in the opening set, Katie Stenby served the Eagles to a 24-21 edge. The teams traded side-outs to close the set. Lindsay Heisey had seven of her 12 kills in the opening set.

The Eagles led 803 in the second set, but the visitors turned a 10-6 Eastern lead into a 13-10 DeSales lead with an extended run. The Eagles trailed 23-17 before rallying with a Caroline Shelby kill and a block from Shelby and Hannah Picconi. The Eagles dropped the second set 25-21.

Down 13-11, the Eagles got a spark on an Ally Spillane kill and a solo block from Caroline Shelby. Spillane served teh Eagles to an 18-13 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a five-point run to tie the match. After the teams traded side-outs, the Eagles closed out the third set with a final five-point run. Cecilia Bauer had three kills in the final five points to close out the set. Bauer finished with a match-high 15 kills.

The fourth set also proved to have numerous runs. The Bulldogs had a 7-5 lead early before Stenby served the Eagles to a 10-7 lead. That lead grew to 17-9 on a five point run with Bauer at the service line. Spillane had three of her ten kills in that five-point stretch.

That lead, however, shrunk to 23-21. Bauer gave the Eagles a match point with her final kill of the night. The Bulldogs rallied to tie the set at 24-24. The Eagles earned another match point on a Spillane kill to make it 25-24. Once again, the Bulldogs answered. Shelby put away a kill for a 26-25 edge, and again, the Bulldogs answered. After Shelby gave the Eagles their fifth match point of the night, Ally Montour and Heisey combined for a stuff block to end the match.

Coach Birtwistle Says:
"We had great energy and effort tonight against a solid DeSales team. We had some players step up tonight and really contribute to the win. Katie had her best defensive game of the year and we got offensive contributions from Lindsey and Cecilia on both pins.  Our middles are getting better every day and it was awesome to see them get some important blocks tonight, including the one on match point. This was a big step for us and a really important win in the conference."

Up Next:
The Eagles have two more home matches this week. The Eagles host Juniata College in a regional rivalry match on Friday and then host Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday. Saturday's 2:30 game will be the third home game of the day. There will be a tailgate by for the day with music and games that will start at 10 am.