WESTMINSTER, Md. - In a match that went the distance, the Swarthmore College volleyball team claimed a 3-2 victory over the hosting McDaniel Green Terror on Saturday, Oct. 9.

The Garnet prevailed 23-25, 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 15-10 to improve to 7-5 overall and 3-1 against Centennial Conference competition.

Kaylee Zhang recorded a double-double with a team-leading 16 kills to go with 12 digs, and served eight of the team's 13 aces in the match. Trisha Razdan also finished in double figures with 10 kills and 12 digs and Grace Hegland notched 10 kills with an efficient .500 hitting percentage. Dani Pena racked up 41 assists as the team hit .280 overall and Sierra Tyson anchored the defense with 22 digs.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair that went the way of the Green Terror thanks to consecutive service aces to close out the set. In the second, Swarthmore forced McDaniel to take timeouts at 12-7 and 18-11 in favor of the Garnet. Razdan swung two kills down the stretch and Zhang closed the set with an ace for a 25-14 score; the Garnet hit .391 in the frame with 13 kills and four errors in 23 attempts.

The third set was more closely contested as both teams struggled to build up a large lead over other. The decisive stretch occurred at 15-15 when the Garnet rattled off a 5-0 run to gain some breathing room. McDaniel rallied to tie the score again at 23-23, but execution errors from the Green Terror gave Swarthmore a 2-1 lead overall. 

Eight ties and four lead changes in the fourth set were indicative of the tight margins between the competing sides. In the late stages, McDaniel used its timeouts at 21-20 and 24-23 to push the match to a fifth and final frame. In the fourth, Tyson recorded eight digs, but Swarthmore could not overcome the Green Terror's .317 hitting percentage.

The Garnet were able to shake off the set loss and won the first four points, including two aces by Zhang. McDaniel clawed its way back and it the match appeared far from over at 10-10 with Swarthmore serving. Zhang, however, took control by serving three aces and adding a kill on top to give Swarthmore the road victory.

The volleyball team returns to Tarble Pavilion to host conference foe Washington College on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m.