Swarthmore College Athletics

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College volleyball team improved to 2-0 in Centennial Conference play with a 3-2 triumph over Muhlenberg College on Friday night. After the Garnet surrendered a two-set lead, the squad grinded out a competitive fifth set in a gutsy win. 

Mailey Wang lit up the scoresheet with 11 total blocks, while the Garnet held a 13-1 edge in the category. Melissa Eyer also provided excellent defense with a game-high 32 digs.

Isabel Adam collected a career-high 24 kills to pace the Garnet attack, while Maya Sheridan had a team-high 29 assists and three aces. 

SWARTHMORE 3, MUHLENBERG 2
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Garnet raced out to a strong start, opening the stanza with a 14-5 advantage. Swarthmore spread out the scoring with six different players recording kills during the run. Aiste Bardauskaite closed out the stretch with three kills, while Ella Tsai and Wang teamed up for a block to cap off an excellent start to the set. Muhlenberg responded out of its timeout with a 5-1 run, but couldn't silence the Garnet, who cruised to a 25-17 victory. 

- Swarthmore took a two-set lead after edging out a competitive second stanza. After a back-and-forth start to the set, Muhlenberg built a three-point cushion with a 16-13 lead until the Garnet tied things up with a 4-1 run. The Mules seemed poised to claim the set with a 22-19 edge before the Garnet took control with four-straight points, capping off the run with a Sheridan ace. Both teams extended the set until the Garnet prevailed with a 28-26 decision. 

- Both teams battled to a 11-11 tie to open the third set before Muhlenberg captured momentum with six-straight points to put distance between them and the home team. The Garnet shrunk their deficit as low as four points, but could not stage a comeback against the Mules, who held on for a 25-20 set. 

- Muhlenberg carried energy into the fourth set with a 6-2 lead until Tsai, Adam and Keira Miles answered with consecutive kills to get the Garnet back on track. The Mules held onto their advantage, eventually expanding its lead to 18-12 with four-straight points. Adam rallied for a trio of consecutive kills to build momentum, but the Mules held on for a 25-21 win. 

- The Mules led early in the fifth set until the Garnet rattled off five-straight points, taking a 10-8 edge. Maggie Rankin and Bardauskaite gave their team the lead with a block before Adams provided a little breathing room with a kill. Swarthmore closed the game with four-straight points with Wang and Tsai teaming up for back-to-back blocks to lock down a victory, 15-11.  


GARNET LEADERS
Kills: Adam 24
Assists: Sheridan 29
Aces: Sheridan 3
Blocks: Wang 11
Digs: Eyer 32

UP NEXT
The Garnet (8-2, 2-0) travel to William Paterson to battle the Pioneers and Stevenson University in a tri-match on Saturday.