PITTSBURGH, Pa. – March 4, 2021 – The Chatham volleyball team earned its first sweep of the 2021 season, holding off Bethany in a thrilling five-set triumph (25-20, 25-15, 18-25, 20-25, 15-9) and downing the Bison in a condensed second game 2-1 (22-25, 27-25, 15-13). The wins put Chatham above .500 at 3-2 overall and 1-2 in PAC play.
 
Chatham got off to a fast start in the first and second sets, recording double-digit kills in each stanza and limiting the Bethany attack. As a team, Chatham hit .169 through the first two sets while the opposing Bison were limited to .070 percentage wise.
 
The script was flipped in the third and fourth sets, with Bethany eclipsing the .200 hitting percentage. The Bison rolled to a seven-point third set victory. In the fourth set, Chatham led 15-10 before Bethany stormed back and claimed the fourth 25-20. Chatham had a .000 hitting percentage in the fourth.
 
By the time the fifth set rolled around, Chatham leapt to a 6-0 start and scored seven of the first eight points thanks to a combination of Bison errors and some stout hitting by the Cougars. The strong start in the fifth catapulted the Cougars to a five-set victory.
 
Chatham was exceptionally strong in the serving game, recording 10 aces throughout and four Cougars notching more than one service ace. Chatham also held advantages in digs (97-85) and kills (48-42).
 
Freshman Lona Bailey had a coming out party, registering a game-high 13 kills to go along with three service aces and 18 digs. Sophomore Rylee Ritko also was in double digits in kills (12) and digs (16). Five Cougars reached double-digit digs, including the aforementioned Bailey and Ritko, freshman Meghan Dominek (24), sophomore Shaelah Pepperman (19) and junior Emily Richie (13). Dominek's 24 digs tied a game-high, and Pepperman chipped 30 assists.
 
In game two, Bethany went on the offensive and notched a first set victory 25-22. The second set was much more even with neither team being able to pull away despite several three-and-four point runs by both sides. In the end, Chatham eked out a 27-25 victory. The third set was played to 15 points as opposed to 25, and Chatham once again held off Bethany by a slim 15-13 score.
 
With several starters playing the majority of both games, Chatham held advantages in every team category except for one in game two. The biggest difference, once again, was the serving. Chatham held a 5-3 lead in aces, and also led in assists (31-23), digs (58-52) and kills (33-28).
 
Richie led the way for Chatham with 11 kills. Ritko registered 10 kills and 14 digs. Pepperman dished out 27 assists to go along with her 12 digs. Dominek finished with a game-high 18 digs, giving her 42 between the two games.
 
The sweep marks the first time that Chatham swept Bethany in the regular season since joining the Presidents' Athletic Conference in 2007.
 
The Cougars look to carry the momentum over to Saint Vincent next Thursday, March 11 on the road with a 7 p.m. tip.