BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women's volleyball team finished a grueling opening weekend with a 3-2 loss against Swarthmore College in the Championship Round at the 11th Annual Greyhound Premiere Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
The Greyhounds (2-2) rebounded nicely from a straight-set loss during the morning session. Head Coach Shelley Bauder saw her squad fight hard despite the five-set loss.
"We did not play to our potential this morning," Bauder said. "We turned it around and battled by learning from our mistakes. While there was a lack of unity and confidence this morning, we were more engaged as an entire team this afternoon."
Swarthmore (3-1) had Moravian against the ropes for the duration of the marathon match, which lasted over two hours at the end of a long weekend tournament. But the Greyhounds never quit, barely losing the first set 26-24 and responding with a 25-19 win in the second. The Garnet again applied the pressure, taking the third set 25-22, forcing the resilient Greyhounds to answer back 25-21 in the fourth set to stay alive.
Moravian eventually fell 15-6 in the final set.
Hitting was a strong point for Bauder's squad during their tournament, and that trend continued against Swarthmore. Freshman middle blocker Taylor Kornmann led the Hounds with 17 kills on a phenomenal .556 hitting percentage. The rookie added two solo blocks in the contest.
"It was a loss, but it was internal victories like the strong play of Taylor that made today worthwhile," Bauder said.
Senior setter Kelly Brown turned in a season-high 61 assists en route to being named to the All-Tournament team on Saturday. The team captain also showed her skills on defense with 10 digs.
Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Bobyak was a model of consistency on the offensive front, racking up 13 kills and only one hitting error. Junior outside hitter Kelianne Comitalo (14 kills) and sophomore outside hitter Lauren Hostetler (13 kills) rounded out Moravian's hitting leaders.
By the time Landmark Conference play starts this fall, opponents may have already heard the name Kim Groff. The freshman Greyhound libero picked up 30 digs against a potent Swarthmore attack, giving her a total of 69 for the tournament.
Moravian returns to action next weekend at the Buttermaker Tournament at Muhlenberg College. Pool play begins on Friday at 3 p.m. against FDU-Florham followed by a 7 p.m. tilt with Gallaudet University.
