WAYNESBURG, Pa. – March 2, 2021 – The Chatham Cougars took to the road Tuesday night and ended up with an even split with the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets, losing game one 3-1 (25-16, 17-25, 21-25, 20-25) and sweeping game two 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-22). The split takes Chatham's record to 1-2 on the young season.
 
Chatham controlled the first set 25-16 thanks to a lack of errors. Chatham registered a dozen first set kills on just two errors, finishing with a .244 hitting percentage.
 
The errors, however, mounted as the match went on. Waynesburg returned the favor with a 25-17 triumph. The Cougars never led in the set, finishing with a .000 hitting percentage thanks to 10 errors.
 
That same trend continued throughout the third and fourth sets. Despite Chatham having a positive percentage, Waynesburg was firing on all cylinders with 10 kills on just two errors. Nobody hit particularly well in the fourth set, but the Cougars committed twice as many errors (10) as they had kills (five).
 
In the first match, Chatham was undone not only by errors but by the stellar front-line play of Waynesburg. The Yellow Jackets blocked seven Cougar attacks. This came in spite of Chatham nearly doubling up on service aces 9-5. Chatham was outhit in the first match .147 to .056, with the Cougars committing 32 errors compared to Waynesburg's 20.
 
Sophomore Shaelah Pepperman was a bright spot for the Cougars, dishing out 16 assists, shoveling 11 digs and leading the way with a quartet of service aces. Classmate Rylee Ritko finished with a game-high 14 kills and 12 digs. Freshman Meghan Dominek led the Cougars with 15 digs.
 
In the second match, Chatham was the beneficiary of 10 first-set Yellow Jacket errors. After Waynesburg went on a seven-point streak, Chatham countered by scoring 11 of the final 14 points to put away the Yellow Jackets.
 
The second set was the closest of all seven sets played Tuesday night, with Chatham squeaking out a slim 25-23 victory. Once again, Waynesburg was in striking distance at 22-19, but the Cougars roared back and closed the second set by scoring six of the final seven points. Chatham hit a team-high .226 in the set.
 
In the third set, neither team led by more than three points. Chatham held that slim lead, surrendered it in the middle of the third set, then snatched it away for good thanks to a pair of Meghan Dominek service aces. Dominek finished with four aces in the second game.
 
Despite giving up more points than it scored, Chatham came away with the first victory of the season. The Cougars narrowly won the assist category (28-26) and the dig battle (53-52). Once again, Waynesburg dominated the front line with six blocks. Between the two games, Waynesburg outblocked Chatham 13-2. Both teams had 31 kills.
 
Dominek finished with 17 digs to go along with her four service aces. Fellow freshman Paige Bogozi had a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. Pepperman handed out a game-high 27 assists.
 
Chatham turns its sights to Bethany on Thursday night for the home opening double header at the Athletics & Fitness Center. First match is set to begin at 6 p.m.