The Highlanders women's volleyball team got their 2018 season underway as they jumped into non-conference play, taking on the Immaculata Mighty Macs in front of a jam packed home crowd at the Mason Activity Center.

SET ONE

With expectations high for the 2018 campaign, the Highlanders immediately found themselves in a 3-0 hole, before they responded with 3 consecutive points to knot the match back up 3-3 in the first set.  After three quick Immaculata points, the Highlanders regained momentum with a devastating kill courtesy of Haley Sheehan to cut the Highlander deficit to 7-5 midway through the first set. The action picked up midway through the first set with the Highlanders trailing 18-12. Needing a quick run to stay alive in the set, Head Coach Whitney Seidel burned a timeout, and the Highlanders responded with another Haley Sheehan kill, that combined with an Immaculata service error to make the score 18-14.  With the score set at 21-16, the Highlanders picked up a huge block courtesy of freshman Allison Barnes to cut the immaculate deficit to four, and the Highlanders rattled off three of the next four points to cut the Mighty Mac lead to two in set one, the closest the deficit had been in the first set. Unfortunately for the Highlanders, it was not enough as the Mighty Macs stroked the next three points to claim the first set, 25-20. Lyntia Gwess lead the Highlanders with three kills in set one, but the Highlanders would need more contribution from the rest of their roster in order to compete with a dangerous Immaculata team.

SET TWO

The Highlanders came out of the set break with a purpose, scoring the first three points of the set, capped off by another Allison Barnes kill to make the score 3-0 early in the second set.  After the Mighty Macs notched two of the next three points, Haley Sheehan made her presence felt once again with a huge block to make the score 6-2 in favor of the Highlanders, which was quickly followed by an Immaculata timeout in an attempt to silence the momentum.  The timeout proved to be successful, as the Mighty Macs started a quick 9-5 run to tie the game 11-11 midway through the second set, which forced Coach Seidel to burn a timeout of her own. Immediately following the timeout, the Highlanders benefited from a Mighty Mac service error to regain the lead 12-11. The second set came down to the wire, as the Highlanders gave up the lead, and found themselves trailing 23-21 with the set about the come to a close, Lyntia Gwess picked up another important kill to cut the Immaculata lead to 1.  Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Highlanders gave up the next two points to drop the second set, 25-23.

SET THREE

Trailing the match 2-0, the Highlanders needed a spark in order to stay alive in the match.  With the third set knotted up at three, Haley Sheehan gave the Highlanders their first lead of the set when she notched her fourth kill of the match to give Cairn University an early 4-3 lead. Immaculata refused to go away, as they picked up an ace midway through the third set to take back the lead from the Highlanders.  The Highlanders quickly responded, using another Lyntia Gwess kill to knot the set backup at 12-12, and then were the beneficiaries of an Immaculata error to get the lead back, as they regained the lead 13-12. With the score knotted up at 14, the momentum flipped in favor of the Mighty Macs after Haley Sheehan received a perfect set from Liz White, only to be blocked by Immaculata MB Olivia Zdradzinski.  However, the Highlanders did not falter, as they notched three of the next five points, capped off by a kill courtesy of Brooke Seidel to tie the score once again, 17-17, in what proved to be a highly competitive match. With the score at 20-19 in favor of the Mighty Macs, Brie Norton came through with a huge ace to once again knot the score up at 20. Immediately following, the Highlanders used two kills from Lyntia Gwess and Allison Barnes to scoop the momentum back from Immaculata, regaining the lead by a score of 22-20, forcing Immaculata to burn a timeout.  Immaculata responded with authority, rattling off a 4-0 run that forced Cairn University head coach Whitney Seidel to use a timeout of her own and implore the Highlanders for one more rally. Unfortunately, the Highlanders dropped the final set by a score of 25-22, as well as the match by a score of 3-0.

MATCH WRAPUP

Despite the loss, the Highlanders stars put up significant stats.  Lyntia Gwess led all players with 12 kills, and Haley Sheehan was not far behind with 7 kills of her own.  Liz White showed consistency as the Highlanders setter, notching 17 assists to lead the Highlanders. Head Coach Whitney Seidel had this to say regarding the Highlanders season opener, "I was incredibly proud of how my girls performed tonight. They played with heart and hustle, and when our offense was clicking we proved how much potential we have. We can compete at a high level with any of the teams we play this season, and I'm so excited to have them get back out on the court and improve every game."

NEXT UP

The Highlanders will travel to Staten Island, NY tomorrow to take on St. Joseph's College and the College of Staten Island.  Game time is slated for 1:00 PM.