LATROBE, Pa. – March 28, 2021 – The Chatham volleyball squad had a strong start in Sunday's road match at Saint Vincent but could not build upon the early lead as the Cougars fell 3-1. Chatham's record dips to 2-3 on the season, 1-3 in conference play.
Chatham took a competitive first set 25-23 and hit a team-best .180%. Both teams went back and forth until the Cougars took a flimsy 23-22 lead late in the set off of SVC miscues. Chatham finished the set on a 4-1 run thanks to four Bearcat attacking or service errors.
In the second set, Saint Vincent took control after hitting just below .200%. It appeared as if the Bearcats were on their way to a double-digit victory after taking a 24-15 lead with the set point coming. However, the Cougars went on the prowl and registered five straight points, including a pair of service aces from first-year libero
Meghan Dominek. Despite dropping the set 25-20, Chatham looked to take that momentum into the third.
At first, that's exactly what the Cougars did, growing a lead as large as six. Unfortunately, Saint Vincent went on a 9-1 run to take control halfway through the set. After reaching 16 points, Chatham only got points from Saint Vincent errors, as the Bearcats took the second set 25-19. In the third, Chatham hit in negative figures.
The fourth set started similarly. The Cougars never led by more than four, but they did control the tempo in the beginning. In the middle of the set, Saint Vincent started to get hot and eventually tie the score at 23 apiece. A pair of Bearcat kills ended the match at four sets.
Chatham hit .055 for the match, the second lowest of the season following the season opener. Other stats were nearly identical. Chatham and Saint Vincent tied in points (55) and assists (37) while the Cougars had slim advantages in aces (8-7) and blocks (7-6).
First-year
Lona Bailey had a game and season-best 15 kills and three aces, being responsible for 18.5 points. Junior
Emily Richie was right behind at 14 kills. Sophomore
Shaelah Pepperman had 30 assists, her third 30+ assist performance in the last four matches. Three Cougars had 20+ digs, including Dominek's 30, Pepperman's 22 and sophomore
Rylee Ritko's 21.
Chatham hits the road on Tuesday at Grove City in the penultimate game of the regular season. The match is set to start at 6:30.
