Box Score

CHESTER, Pa. – With a career match from junior Chelsee Strine (South Boardman, Mich./Forest Area) and a fifth-set rally, the No. 5-seed Lycoming College volleyball team came from behind to defeat the No. 4-seed Widener University, 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 15-12), in the first-ever Commonwealth Conference play-in playoff game on Wednesday night, Oct. 31, at the Schwarz Athletic Center.
 
Strine finished with career highs of 17 kills and 21 digs, crushing her former bests of 12 kills and 17 digs. She also hit .444 and posted a block, helping the Warriors (22-12 overall) win their first postseason match since a 3-2 win at Scranton in the 2006 Freedom Conference Championship match.
 
In a fifth set that featured eight ties and six lead changes, the Warriors fell behind 12-11 after three straight Pride (16-16 overall) points, but came right back. Junior Katelyn McKillop (Mount Pocono, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) tied the match with a kill and then Oliva and Gear slammed down kills before a Widener attack error ended the set, 15-11, in Lycoming’s favor.
 
The Warriors will now advance to the Commonwealth Conference semifinals, heading to No. 1-seed Stevenson University on Friday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m.
 
Lycoming got back into the match in the second set, starting the set on a 6-1 run, capping the run with a block by junior Shelby Gear (Rochester, N.Y./Gates-Chili) and sophomore Kylee Sutton (Wysox, Pa./Towanda Area). Widener got within a point twice after that before finally tying the set at 17, but the Warriors scored four straight points to take control, finishing the set on an 8-3 run with Gear capping the set with a kill.
 
Lycoming continued to play well in the third set, taking an 8-4 lead off the benefit of four points on the serve of freshman Bethany Richardson (York, Pa./West York). The Pride closed within two points twice, including 16-14, but Richardson served up three more points, keeping Lycoming in control. The Pride made one more late charge, closing within a point at 23-22, but a sneak attack kill by McKillop and a kill by senior Jackie Oliva (Barnesville, Pa./Mahanoy Area) ended the set.
 
Widener forced the decisive fifth set, though, as Lycoming closed within two points at 17-15 before Widener took control with three straight points and never let Lycoming back within three points en route to the 25-20 win.
 
Richardson finished with 12 kills, nine digs and three aces and Gear posted 11 kills, hitting .474, to go with five digs, two blocks and two aces. Sutton posted eight kills, three digs and two blocks and Oliva notched six kills and three blocks. McKillop added a double-double with 48 assists and 17 digs and sophomore Kristin Whitehead (Avon, Ohio/Avon) had 28 digs in a masterful effort at the libero position.
 
Kaitlin Schnalzer and Shauna Phillips each had 14 kills and Angela DiMaria added 13 kills and 12 digs for the Pride. Maggie Greenberg posted 52 assists, Jessica Dembeck posted six aces and three blocks and Meghan Spence posted 21 digs.
 
In the first set, the two teams fought out to a 12-12 tie before an 8-2 run helped Widener take control en route to the 25-17 win.