ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Dickinson women's volleyball earned a crucial win in their Centennial Conference opener against Muhlenberg College, before falling short of the sweep on the afternoon dropping a non-conference match to Stevenson University at the Muhlenberg Tri-Match at Memorial Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Match One - DEVILS 3, Mules 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-16)
Dickinson began the match strong Emma Lange and Mathilde Verbitsky put away kills to make it 4-1. The two sides split the next eight points with Alexa Barowski, Emma Popham, and Verbitsky pushing the lead out to 8-5. After a kill by Isabella Pontrelli, the Red and White ripped off a 8-1 Amelia Kim, Barowski, and Lange opened it up to 16-7. The Mules rallied back with seven of the next nine to close within 18-14. Kills by Kim, Lange, and Verbitsky helped DC outscore the homeside 7-5 the rest of the way for the 25-19 win. 

The Red and White used scores from Lange and Verbitsky to jump out to an early 5-3 edge. A kill for Christina Marcin made it 6-5, before Lillian Bigsby Barowski, Lange, Popham, and Verbitsky all put away kills and Camille Dofiles recorded an ace to extend the gap to double-digits at 19-9. Muhlenberg then put together an 8-1 run trimming it down to 20-17. Dofiles and Lange would help DC put away the set at 25-20. 

Both teams split the opening eight points as Avery Lewis and Popham posted an ace and a kill respectively. A 4-2 Mules push gave them an 8-6 lead. However, Dickinson answered back with a 6-2 charge as Barowski, Lange, and Verbitsky each came up with points to reclaim a 12-10 advantage. A kill for Esmae Oehler and a combination block by Catherine Maguire and Rachel Jacobs brought the score even 12-12, but then a 6-3 answer for the Devils gave them an 18-15 lead when Kim pounded down a kill. A miscue by Grace Coccagna, halted the charge for a second as Dickinson ended the match on a 7-0 rampage to close the match.

Mule Leaders
Kills - Oehler (14)
Digs - Alyssa Faville (15)
Assists - Emma Eglinton (24)

Red Devil Leaders
Kills - Lange (16), Verbitsky (8)
Digs - Kim (12), Ann Marie Patterson (11)
Assists - Dofiles (36)

Match Two - Mustangs 3, DEVILS 0 (22-25, 14-25, 18-25)
The two sides started off even as they traded points all the way up to 14-14, with Barowski, Lange, and Popham recording kills for the Red and White. After a score by Haley Hoover, Dickinson picked up four consecutive points through Sophia Denayer, Barowski, and Verbitsky made it 18-15. Stevenson then responded with a 10-7 push as kills by Barowski, Kim, Lange, and Verbitsky were not enough to prevent a 25-22 Mustangs win. 

An ace for Dofiles along with a kill for Verbitsky staked DC to a 3-0 lead to begin the second. Unfortunately, Stevenson came back with an 8-2 push as a kill by Giulia Viglietta made it 8-5. After two straight Devils points the Mustangs answered back with six of the following seven to push the lead out to 15-8. A score by Lange trimmed it to 15-10, but a 10-4 gallop for Stevenson capped the set at 25-14.

Barowski, Dofiles, Kim, Popham, and Verbitsky helped DC to take an early 7-5. A 5-1 run for the Mustangs on kills from Rileigh Kimball, Sarah Straub, Makala Thompson, and Viglietta brought them back to the front 10-8. The next ten points were shared with Lange, Kim, and Patterson pulled the Red and White to within 16-15. Once again though it would be Stevenson putting together late charge as Kylie Deslauriers wrapped up a 9-3 romp to end the game and match 25-18.

Mustang Leaders
Kills - Viglietta (11), Hoover (10)
Digs - Shannon Baily (16)
Assists - Samantha Simmers and Thompson (16)

Red Devil Leaders
Kills - Verbitsky (7), Kim (6)
Digs - Dofiles (14), Patterson (10)
Assists - Dofiles (22)

Next on the Court
Dickinson (6-4, 1-0 Centennial) returns to the Kline Center on Wednesday night at 7pm when they welcome Johns Hopkins University to Carlisle.  Read Full Article