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Swarthmore Trumps the Aggies 3-1; Advance to ECAC Semifinal
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - For the second straight year, the Swarthmore volleyball team has won its first round ECAC tournament match with a 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-16) rout of the Delaware Valley Aggies (21-9) on Wednesday night in Tarble Pavilion.
With the win, Swarthmore improved to 24-7 on the season, marking Swat's best record in program history. The win also earns the Garnet a spot in the ECAC Semifinals on Saturday.
Despite dropping the second set, Swarthmore put up big numbers and outplayed the Aggies throughout the match. The Garnet outshot Del Val 64-43 in kills, 59-40 in assists and outdug the Aggies 79-66.
Junior Allie Coleman was deadly all over the floor for Swat, posting her first career triple-double with 10 kills, 49 assists and 12 digs.
In the first set Swarthmore took control early and never looked back, holding onto the lead for almost the entire set. Del Val did manage to tie up the score twice early at 3-3 and 4-4 but couldn't get anything going.
Delaware Valley took the reigns early in the second set, getting out to a 7-3 lead to start the set. The Garnet began to chip away at the Aggies' lead and took its first lead of the set thanks to freshman Hannah Bown who dropped a shot past the Del Val defense to give Swat a 17-16 lead.
Bown led Swarthmore in the set, going six-for-six on the attack but Delaware Valley regained its lead and went on to take the second set.
Swarthmore turned the table in the third set and took an early 10-5 lead. This time it was the Aggies that would make a comeback of its own, tying it up at 13 apiece but Bown came through again for Swat, breaking the tie with another kill that sparked a 12-2 Garnet run to close out the third set. Bown led the set again with five kills.
Bown was a perfect nine-for-nine over the second and third sets before making her first error. finished the match with 12 kills.
The first half of the fourth set was a back and forth battle that saw eight tie scores and four lead changes before Swarthmore managed to take control after breaking a tie at 12-12.
Swat then went on an 8-1 scoring run that led to its eventual fourth set and match victory.
Senior Genny Pezzola led the Garnet attack with 13 kills and recorded yet another double-double, picking 18 digs.
Junior Kat Montemurro dropped nine kills in the match.
On defense, senior Hillary Santana led the way along with Pezzola, while they each laid out for 18 digs.
Swarthmore now moves onto the ECAC semifinals on Saturday where it will take on Bethany College at a site and time yet to be determined.
