ALLENTOWN, PA. - The Swarthmore College volleyball team took down Muhlenberg College, 3-1, to capture its second-straight victory to open Centennial Conference play. The Garnet have won their last six meetings against the Mules.  

Keira Miles led the Garnet attack with 16 kills and a .455 hitting percentage, while Alexia Enache and Aiste Bardauskaite added 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Emily Sun helped pace the offense with a season-best 32 assists.

Zindzhi Montgomery was a force at the net, tallying a season-high seven blocks, while Angelina Heminway added five total. 

SWARTHMORE 3, MUHENBERG 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams went back-and-forth in an even opening set. With the game knotted at 6-6, Swarthmore created some separation with four-unanswered points. The Mules then fought back, tying the game at 12-12, until the Garnet countered with another stretch of four-straight points. After Muhlenberg evened the score several more times, Swarthmore finally put the home team away with a 5-1 swing to end the opening set. Bardauskaite tallied two kills during the run, while Miles and Enache also contributed kills, taking the set 25-21. 

- The Mules opened the second stanza with a 5-1 run to build an early advantage. However, the Garnet flipped momentum with a 9-3 swing to create a three-goal advantage. Muhlenberg eventually evened up the score at 16-16 until Swarthmore swiftly regained control with eight-straight points. After conceding a point, Enache put the finishing touches on the stanza with a set-clinching kill, 25-17.

- Early in the third set, the Garnet seemed in control with a 7-3 advantage to open the stanza. However, the Mules refused to go away as they rallied for seven of the next 10 points to even the score, 10-10. Both teams put together a series of runs, but neither gained traction until a 9-3 Muhlenberg rally propelled them to a 23-19 advantage. Down to its final points, the Garnet fought off the Mules with a 3-1 stretch, featuring kills from Bardauskaite, Enache and Miles. However, the Mules finished off the Garnet with the final point of the set to force extra sets, 25-22.

- Swarthmore halted all Muhlenberg momentum in the fourth set with a 10-4 opening to the stanza. Late in the set, the Mules shrunk its deficit to four points, but surrendered four-straight Swarthmore points to concede momentum. The Mules tried to fight off defeat with three-unanswered points, before Bardauskaite sealed the game with a kill, 25-19. 


GARNET LEADERS
Kills: Miles 16
Aces: Enache, Eyer 3
Blocks: Montgomery 7
Assists: Sun 32
Digs: Eyer 17, Enache 16 

UP NEXT
The Garnet (11-7, 2-0) host Gettysburg College on Saturday.