LATROBE, Pa. – Chatham Women's Volleyball evened their PAC Tournament semifinal match with Saint Vincent at 1 set apiece, but were unable to overcome the Bearcats' attack in the final two sets of the match and were defeated 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-16, 25-19).
                  The Cougars led in the first set 19-16, but a four point run by Saint Vincent turned the tide and allowed the Bearcats to take a 1-0 lead. After tying the match 1-1, Chatham fell behind 8-3 in the third set and could not claw their way back into the set. The Cougars were able to get the match's fourth set within a 19-17 margin, but two kills from Saint Vincent led to a four point run and the Bearcats closed out the match with a Kaelyn Staples-Klasnic kill.
                  Staples-Klasnic was Saint Vincent's leader in kills with 13. Lauren Fox had 12 kills and 3 blocks for the Bearcats (15-11, 8-2 PAC). Vivian Poach recorded 36 assists and Stacie Ramos had 31 digs for Saint Vincent. The Bearcats closed with 16 errors to 27 for Chatham, and a .160-.113 advantage in hitting percentage over the Cougars. Saint Vincent will travel to Meadville to face Allegheny in the PAC Championship on Saturday.
                  Sophomore Becca Gesner was the game's leader in kills with 15 for Chatham. Gesner also provided 3 aces, 2 blocks and 13 digs for the Cougars (12-13, 7-3). Senior Alyssa Leskovac recorded 11 kills and 28 digs. Sophomore Zoie Bateman registered 10 kills and was the match leader in blocks with 4 for Chatham. Senior Natalie Keough provided the Cougar attack with a career high 41 assists and blocked 2 Bearcat attacks. Junior Sierra Ricci recorded a game high 36 digs for Chatham.
                  A season that started out slow, the Cougars caught fire down the stretch to finish with a respectable 12-13 overall record. Two comeback wins against Thiel at the end of the season showed the fighting spirit of the 2024 Chatham team. The Cougars are expected to lose two seniors in Alyssa Leskovac and Natalie Keough. Key pieces expected to return in 2025 include Zoie Bateman, Becca Gesner, Paige Watson, Sierra Ricci, Ava Plunkard, and Annika Solfronk.