WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Somewhere in the midst of a minute-long rally, senior Lilly Singleton (Hanover Pa./Delone Catholic) dropped to her left for a dig and seconds later, senior Lindsay Beck (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown Community) picked off a block attempt before senior Alysa McDevitt (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and junior Elle Jednorski (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) picked off an attack attempt by Lebanon Valley and sent it down to the floor.
 
The fans erupted, sophomore Angie King (Cooperstown, Pa./Maplewood) jumped skyward and McDevitt and senior Darci Warriner (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) tried to get their breath in a match that had become an hour-and-45-minute epic.
 
Two points later, McDevitt staved off LVC's second set point with a hard smash for a kill, then served up an ace before an LVC attack error sent the fourth-seeded Lycoming College volleyball team onto the court to celebrate a hard-earned 3-1 win in the MAC Commonwealth Championship first round over the fifth-seeded Flying Dutchmen (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 28-26) on Monday night.
 
The Warriors (18-12 overall) advance to face top-seeded Stevenson University in the conference semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m., in Owings Mills, Md.
 
After the Warriors hadn't beaten Lebanon Valley (16-14 overall) in the past six seasons, they pulled off the feat twice in a span of six days, doing it again with a hard-fought defensive effort, scooping up 62 digs to LVC's 55 and posting a season-best 15 blocks.
 
Jednorski and McDevitt each had 12 kills, with Jednorski adding four blocks and McDevitt posting six blocks and two aces, hitting .750 on 16 attempts. Senior Emily Morris (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) posted 37 assists and 16 digs and Singleton finished with 15 digs. Warriner posted seven kills and 12 digs and freshman Elizabeth Kelson (Denville, N.J./Morris Catholic) notched seven kills and nine blocks.
 
Lebanon Valley took the first set with a run of five straight points after the set was tied at 20, but Lycoming responded in the second with a balanced hitting effort, hitting .321 in the set and taking control with six straight points off the serve of Singleton to take a 19-12 lead en route to the 25-19 win.
 
In the third set, the Warriors stormed back from a 9-4 deficit to take a 17-14 lead off, forcing a LVC timeout. Lebanon Valley fought back to tie it at 20, but McDevitt smashed down an overball in front of the touch line, shifting momentum. Warriner followed with an ace and Jednorski and McDevitt got in on a block to take a 23-20 lead en route to the 25-22 win.
 
Lycoming jumped out a 19-11 lead in the fourth set, but Lebanon Valley fought back with a 13-4 run to take a 24-23 lead. Morris sent a perfectly placed touch kill to tie the set before the block from McDevitt and Jednorski. Lebanon Valley won the next two points to again get a set point, but McDevitt took over again to close out the win.
 
Reily Shelly led the Dutchmen with 24 kills, hitting .333, and Jayna Class added 14 kills, five digs and two blocks. Mikiah Sangrey posted 46 assists, as Lebanon Valley hit .160 in the match, and Alice Thorsen led the team with 15 digs.