PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Women's Volleyball (5-1, 0-0 PAC) picked up two key nonconference wins on Saturday at the Athletic and Fitness Center, defeating La Roche (25-20, 25-20, 27-25, 25-20, 15-10) and Lycoming (18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22).
 
The Redhawks (2-3, 0-0 AMCC) were the Cougars' first opponent of the day, and they pushed Chatham to a fifth set despite trailing two sets to none and 24-20 in set three. In the fifth set the Cougars got out to a 5-2 lead and were able to hold it throughout the set, with two Alexia Bowers kills closing out the victory. Bowers had 12 kills in the match to lead Chatham along with 15 digs. Ava Plunkard recorded 4 aces and 19 assists. Delaney Schwind served up 4 aces along with 17 assists. Sierra Ricci tallied a match high 41 digs to go with 3 aces, and Evelyn White blocked 3 La Roche attacks. The Cougars' 18-7 advantage in aces was key in the tight match.
 
The Warriors (4-6, 0-0 Landmark) took a one set to none lead on Chatham, but the Cougars stormed back with three set wins to claim the match. Chatham trailed 21-20 in set four but closed out the game by winning five of the final six points. Becca Gesner tied for the match high with 12 kills on .323 hitting. Maren Balint also had 12 kills in the match for the Cougars. Alexia Bowers recorded 9 kills, 3 aces and 15 digs. Ava Plunkard dished out a match high 20 assists, and Sierra Ricci recorded a match high 29 digs in game two. Chatham hit .139 for the match, with a 49-33 advantage over Lycoming in kills.
 
The Cougars begin conference play on Wednesday at Waynesburg's Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse with a 7 p.m. scheduled start time.