ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Volleyball rallied from a 9-4 deficit in the fifth set to claim a MAC Commonwealth Semifinal win over the fourth-seeded Messiah University Falcons (22-9) and advance to Saturdays league championship. The Eagles will host the nine-time defending MAC Commonwealth Champion Stevenson University Mustangs at 3:00 pm. Logan Martin had five of her match-high 19 kills in the decisive fifth set. 

The Eagles started the fifth set in a 3-0 hole, and despite a side-out on kill from Martin, the Eagles were not able to score on serve and the Falcons built the lead to 7-3. The Messiah lead grew to 9-4 before the Eastern team finally strung points together in the final set. Jailene Lugo pounded out a kill for the side-out and then combined with Natalie Saxton on a huge block a point on serve. The two sides then traded side-outs to 11-7 and though the Eagles seemed to be gaining momentum the Eastern fans had reason to fear that they might not catch up before the Falcons reached 15. 

Kelsey Bradshaw put pressure on the Falcons with strong serves and three-point run at the line. Martin had a pair of kills in the run, but the the Eagles were never able to secure a lead where they could win with a side-out. The two teams traded side-outs and Messiah had a serve for the match up 14-13. Lugo pounded her career-best 12th kill of the match to earn the side-out and tie the score at 14-14. The Eastern defense scrambled and kept the ball in play for a lengthy point before a Messiah hitting error gave the Eagles a chance to serve for the match. Sophomore defensive specialist Grace Will delivered a diving serve just over the tape for an ace to end the match.

With the win, Eastern Women's Volleyball continues its impressive runs of trips to league finals. Last year's non-season excepted, Eastern has played in a conference championship game every year since 1994. After losing the first three, they are 21-2 in those matches. Coach Mark Birtwistle's squad will face a Stevenson team in the final with an equally exceptional recent run in tournament play on Saturday.

Eastern won the opening two sets before falling 25-16 in the third. As they did in Grantham earlier in the year, the Falcons claimed the fourth set. The Falcons led 24-19 in the fourth, but the Eagles made it close with four straight points. The Falcons claimed the final point of the set on a double-contact call on a ball that Rachel Curran shot to a deep corner. 

Though the Eagles held Messiah to a zero hitting percentage in the opening set, it was far from a sure thing. The Falcons led 17-10 and seemed to be in command. The Eastern side-out game was flawless to close the set and Kelsey Bradshaw served the final six points for a 25-20 lead. Lugo had three kills on seven attacks in the first.

The Eastern offense was clicking in the second set. With four hitters registering three kills apiece, they hit .288 and built a 24-18 lead. Messiah battled back to with in two before Bridgette Kelly terminated a point and the set on a first-swing side-out.

In a match that lasted well over two hours, there were plenty of brilliant plays. The Eastern defense had four players with double-figure digs. Grace Casagrande registered a career-high 36 digs. Kelsey Bradshaw also posted a career-best number with 18 digs. Trinity Gruber had twelve digs and Elle Jiron-Bujanda had 15 digs and 49 assists. Saxton hit .364 with 11 kills and three blocks. Martin added two solo blocks to her 19 kills. 

"The team stayed together tonight and battled back," Birtwistle said. "This seemed like a very similar situation to what we faced there during the regular season. Our passing was the key. We passed great in the fifth set. Casa played arguably her best match of the year.It wasn't just the number of plays, but she came up with big digs in big moments. We had a solid all-around offense effort and got production from all our hitters. This was a big moment for this young team to step up and pull out a very hard-fought match.

Saturday's Championship will begin at 3:00 pm. As a reminder, spectators at indoor events are required to wear masks.