PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Women's Volleyball (14-6, 9-2 PAC) set a new program record with its ninth consecutive victory on Saturday evening, sweeping Grove City (20-7, 8-4 PAC) 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-17) at the Athletic & Fitness Center. The Cougars also secured the No. 2 seed in the PAC Championship Tournament and will host a playoff match on Tuesday.
Chatham overcame an early 7-4 deficit in the opening set, with consecutive
Becca Gesner kills helping tie the score at seven. A 4-0 run featuring two
Maddy Roberts kills later gave the Cougars a 14-10 advantage. Chatham extended its lead to 18-12 after a combined block from
Paige Watson and
Annelese Atkinson. Grove City pulled within two late but kills from
Zoie Bateman and Atkinson closed out the 25-21 victory.
The Cougars rallied from a larger deficit in set two after Grove City built a 17-11 lead. A 5-0 Chatham run, including an
Evie White ace and an Atkinson kill, brought the Cougars within one. Roberts and Gesner later delivered consecutive kills to tie the score at 20 before a
Delaney Schwind ace put Chatham ahead 22-21. The Wolverines recovered to earn set point at 24-23, but White answered with a kill before back-to-back Bateman kills secured the 26-24 win.
Chatham opened the third set with six consecutive points, highlighted by back-to-back Schwind aces and consecutive blocks from Atkinson and White. Grove City worked its way back within 17-15 before the Cougars answered with another 6-0 run. Roberts served consecutive aces during the stretch, and an Atkinson kill extended the advantage to 23-15. Bateman brought Chatham to match point before Watson delivered the final kill to complete the record-breaking sweep.
Bateman led the match with 11 kills, while Atkinson added nine kills and three blocks. Gesner and Roberts each recorded eight kills, with Roberts also collecting 13 digs and two aces. Schwind finished with a match-high 25 assists and four aces, while
Kate Giannetta added 14 assists and eight digs.
Kelly Dougherty anchored the defense with a match-high 18 digs, and
Mackenzie Moore contributed 12. White finished with four kills and three blocks. Chatham held a 44-31 advantage in kills and outhit Grove City .168 to .091.
The No. 2-seeded Cougars return to action on Tuesday, November 10th when they host a PAC playoff match at the Athletic & Fitness Center. The start time is to be determined.
