SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College volleyball team earned a massive 3-1 victory over visiting Rowan University on Thursday night in a thrilling matchup between two of the top-20 teams in the NCAA Power Index.
The win marked the eighth in a row for the Garnet, who snapped the Profs' 21-match unbeaten streak in the process. It was also Rowan's first road loss of the season. In addition, the triumph gave Swarthmore head coach
Cecily Scavicchio Tomeo her 100
th career victory. Scavicchio Tomeo is in her first season with the Garnet after eight years at Ursinus College.
Swarthmore dropped the opening set but bounced back to take three in a row from the Profs. The Garnet hit .255 for the match, including posting a .300-plus percentage in two of the last three stanzas. After Rowan hit .302 in the opener, the Profs managed attack percentages of just .050, .079, and .167 against a standout Swarthmore defense.
Isabel Adam recorded her second 20-kill performance of the campaign, finishing with 21. She compiled a .319 hitting percentage and added 11 digs.
Ella Tsai tallied 12 kills on the evening.
Melissa Eyer produced a team-high 24 digs with 10 assists and three aces.
Maya Sheridan and
Lois Matsukawa totaled 24 and 16 assists respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tsai opened the match with a kill but Rowan answered with five straight points to go in front. The Profs were ahead 7-3 when the Garnet fought back with a 9-3 run to take a 12-10 lead. Four different players scored a kill during the stretch. However, Rowan seized the momentum once more with a 10-3 surge for a 20-15 advantage. Swarthmore was able to cut it to 20-18 but the Profs responded with five of the next seven to take the set 25-20.
- The Garnet jumped out to a commanding 12-3 lead to begin the second set. Adam notched three kills and Tsai registered a pair. Five of the points came on Eyer's serve, during which she recorded an ace. Swarthmore held a comfortable edge throughout the remainder of the set with Rowan coming no closer than six. The Garnet went on to win the frame 25-15.
- In the third, the score was tied at two before a service error, a kill by
Mailey Wang, and a kill by Adam put Swarthmore up 5-2. The Garnet maintained the upper hand and led 11-7 when they pulled away with four consecutive points.
Aiste Bardauskaite, Tsai, and Adam all produced a kill. Swarthmore led by as many as 10 and was ahead 24-15 when the Profs rallied for five unanswered to get within four. However, a hitting error gave the Garnet the set 25-20.
- The teams were even at five in the fourth when Swarthmore took over with a 6-1 run. Adam totaled two kills and an ace to spark the rally. Rowan closed the gap to two at 15-13 but the Garnet created separation with four in a row in response. Three of the points came on Eyer's serve again with another ace in the sequence. The Profs cut the deficit to three (20-17) but Swarthmore put the match away with a 5-2 surge and won 25-19. Bardauskaite registered three kills down the stretch.
GARNET LEADERS
Kills: Adam 21
Assists: Sheridan 24
Aces: Eyer 3
Blocks:
Maggie Rankin 2
Digs: Eyer 24
UP NEXT
The Garnet (17-3) close the regular season with three conference games, beginning on Saturday at home versus Washington College.
