ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's volleyball team defeated The Catholic University of America, 3-2, and Goucher College, 3-0, in the final weekend of Landmark Conference action at Elizabethtown College Saturday to give the Greyhounds a 4-3 conference record and secure the fourth seed in the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament.
The Hounds will return to Landmark Conference playoffs for the eighth straight year when they travel to top seed Juniata College for a semifinals match on Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.
In the opening match of the day for Moravian versus Catholic, the Cardinals took the first set, 25-21, after turning a 10-8 Moravian lead into a 16-11 advantage for Catholic in the middle of the set. In the second set, the score was tied at 5-5 when junior defensive specialist Andrea Giardina served up four straight points for a lead that Moravian held onto for the 25-16 set victory.
The Greyhounds cruised in the third set to another 25-16 victory but Catholic responded to control the fourth set early. The Hounds knotted the score at 16-16 and then 21-21 before the Cardinals won 25-23 to tie the match at 2-2. Moravian never trailed in the fifth and deciding set as the Greyhounds posted a 15-12 victory to clinch the postseason berth.
Senior outside hitter Lauren Hostetler led Moravian with 17 kills to go with 12 digs, three blocks and three assists while freshman outside hitter Mary Zacher added 16 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Kornmann contributed a team high seven blocks to go with 13 kills while junior middle blocker Victoria Bobyak had six service aces to go with four kills and three blocks.
Junior setter Megan Szkolnicki led Moravian's offense with 45 assists to go along with six service aces, six digs and four kills while Giardina had a team high 18 digs to go with three assists. Freshman libero Jean Markovic had 10 digs, four assists, three service aces and a pair of kills while sophomore middle blocker Jackie Finnegan added five blocks. Sophomore right side hitter Jaclyn Smith contributed two kills in the victory.
In the final match of the Landmark season, the Greyhounds fell behind Goucher, 10-5, in the opening set. Moravian would come back to tie the contest at 11-11 with Markovic and Szkolnicki serving but the Gophers pulled ahead again for an 18-13 advantage. As she had done in the first match, Giardina took her turn to serve and scored four straight points as the Hounds tied the contest at 18-18. Hostetler then served four consecutive points for the Greyhounds, who would take the opening set 25-21.
Moravian fell behind early in the second game, trailing Goucher, 9-5. Szkolnicki's turn behind the service line pulled the Greyhounds within a point, and Giardina put the Greyhounds ahead for good in the 25-21 set win. The Hounds never trailed in the third set, winning 25-19.
Kornmann had a team-high 14 kills versus the Gophers to go along with a pair of blocks while Bobyak added eight kills, four digs and a pair of service aces. Szkolnicki ran the offense with 32 assists, and she also contributed four kills, three service aces and three digs while Giardina had a team-high 16 digs.
Zacher had 10 digs, seven kills and three assists in the victory while senior outside hitter Kelianne Comitalo had five kills and a trio of service aces. Hostetler contributed four kills, six digs and a pair of service aces while Markovic had 11 digs against Goucher.
Moravian is slated to return to action in its final home contest of the season when the Greyhounds host Cedar Crest College in non-conference action on Tuesday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.
