PITTSBURGH, Pa. - September 30, 2021 - Chatham Volleyball traveled to La Roche University this evening for their second meeting of the season. The Cougars easily handled the hosting Redhawks, earning a straight set victory with scores of 25-16, 25-20, and 25-13.
Sophomore Meghan Dominek got the Cougars started behind the service line, helped with kills by senior Emily Richie and graduate Macy King. La Roche would, to Chatham's benefit, commit several defensive errors, giving the Cougars some extra points to further expand their lead.
King and Richie were joined on the offensive front by junior Rylee Ritko, sophomore Paige Bogozi, and first-year Kaley Davis, to tally 17 kills in the first set and an ace by Bogozi. The Cougars ended the first set quickly with a nine-point gap that was too much for the Redhawks to recover from.
La Roche would have slightly more luck with offense in set two, but it was once again not enough to best Chatham. The Cougar offensive force stayed strong from the first set, made possible by serves from sophomore Amelia Bogovich and assists from junior Shaelah Pepperman. Chatham held La Roche to single-digits for 18 points before the Redhawks had a short scoring spree, which was squashed by the Cougars and their finishing touches just a few plays later. With the 25-20 set win, the Cougars carried their momentum into what would be their final set.
Of the first nine points of set three, Chatham was responsible for seven. La Roche, scrambling to generate sufficient offense, allowed their defense to fall to the wayside, of which Chatham would take advantage. The Cougars had a seven-point run to take the score from 8-3 to 15-3, guaranteeing La Roche's impending loss. Several more kills by Kaley Davis, Rylee Ritko, Paige Bogozi, and Emily Richie would seal the Redhawks' fate, calling the game at 25-13.
Chatham totaled 136 attacks on the night, 44 of which were kills. Davis and Ritko led the Cougars with 12 kills apiece, followed by Richie and King with 10 and seven respectively. Pepperman continues to be the Cougars' playmaker, tallying another 38 assists on the night.
The Cougars recorded 70 digs, a game-high 19 coming from Dominek, with 13 more from Ritko.
The win marks the Cougars' sixth straight, elevating them to a 10-3 overall record. Their next match is Wednesday, October 6th versus Grove City prior to trimatch play against Westminster and Waynesburg at home that Saturday.
