PITTSBURGH, Pa. - September 27, 2022 - Chatham Women's Volleyball hosted Saint Vincent College this evening in a non-conference matchup. The Cougars would take the first set 25-17 before the Bearcats went for two straight (25-17 and 27-25). Chatham would bounce back in set four (25-23) before absolutely dominating the fifth and final set, limiting Saint Vincent to just seven points.
The first set saw Saint Vincent pull ahead early, but these efforts were mitigated by kills from junior Baileigh Horan and first-year Alyssa Leskovac. The Cougars would pull ahead mid-game when first-year Sierra Ricci found the floor off of a serve, followed by more kills from Horan, Leskovac, and junior Amelia Bogovich.
Saint Vincent found their offensive spark in the second set, carrying that momentum over into the third to edge Chatham by just two points. The Cougars, however, found their own spark at the threat of a loss.
Set four went 5-0 quickly in Chatham's favor with Bogovich forcing error after error from the service line. First-years Leskovac and Abigail Willott would both pepper in kills, as would Horan. Bogovich would personally put the nail in the Bearcats' coffin by supplying the Cougars' final three points with kill after kill after kill.
It was evident from the first serve that the Cougars were not going to lose the deciding set, as Willott and Leskovac quickly got on the board. The pivotal moment came when Horan blocked a spike for the Cougars' ninth point and first-year Claire Dusek stepped to the service line. Dusek would serve for five straight points, logging a service ace and setting up Bogovich for three kills and Leskovac for one.
Leskovac and Bogovich highlighted the Cougars' offense tonight with 19 and 18 kills respectively. Sophomore Jessica Taney logged four solo and four assisted blocks. Leskovac also led the team in service aces with five, followed by Dusek with four.
Senior Shaelah Pepperman added another 41 assists and three block assists to her resume as junior Meghan Dominek supplied a team-high 25 digs.
This exciting game leaves the Cougars at 7-6 overall ahead of a final non-conference matchup against Bethany College on Thursday. Conference play will commence Saturday, October 1 at home against Washington and Jefferson College.
