The Lancaster Bible College women's volleyball team won a thrilling five-set match over Wells on Saturday afternoon in Morrisville, N.Y., propelling the Chargers to the North Eastern Athletic Conference Final for the first-time in program history.
 
The Chargers won the NEAC Semifinal match over the Express, 25-22, 17-25, 17-25, 28-26, 18-16, and improved to 21-8 this season, while Wells ended its season with a 17-12 overall record.
 
Match Recap: After the teams split the opening points of the first set, Wells won four straight to grab an 11-8 lead, but the Chargers fought right back and took six of the next seven points for a 14-12 lead. A block assist by Courtney Goyak and Allison Shuey capped the scoring run, and the Chargers would eventually hold off a late run by Wells, and take the opening set, 25-22.
 
The second set began like the first, as the teams split points, but it Wells who took the set over by winning seven straight points for an 11-4 lead. Lancaster Bible tried to get back into the set for the rest of the second frame, and got to within 22-16 late in the set, but Wells shut down any thoughts of a comeback, and won, 25-17.
 
After hitting for a negative hitting percentage in the second set, the Chargers were a bit better in the third, and tied the third frame, 9-9 after a kill from Goyak. The Express owned the middle of the set for the second straight frame however, and won nine of11 points for a 20-13 lead. Again, the Express didn't let the Chargers have any chance of a comeback, and won the third set like the second, 25-17.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Chargers opened the fourth set poorly, as they trailed 6-1 after back-to-back attack errors. The team finally settled into their relaxed and confident mindset they have had all season and won nine of the next 10 points to take a 10-7 lead. Sophomore Aleah Heyworth was huge during the run, as she connected for back-to-back kills and a block, before junior Ashtyn Bouslog closed the run with a kill.
 
The run swung the momentum only momentarily however, as Wells won nine of 10 points later in the set to secure a 17-13 advantage. The Express eventually led, 20-15, and the Chargers called timeout, staring the end of their season in the face. With that feeling as the backdrop, the Chargers won five straight points, as they used everything in their repertoire, including blocks, kills, and aces.
 
Wells won the next three of the next four points for a 23-21 lead, but again the Chargers fought back, and tied it at 23-23. Lancaster Bible then faced a match point at 24-23, but an error from Wells and a kill from Shuey gave Lancaster Bible a set point, but Wells fought it off, and then had its second match point at 26-25. Goyak hammered home a kill to knot the score at 26-26, and Bouslog followed with a kill to give the Chargers a set point, which they wouldn't waste this time, as Goyak slammed home another kill for a 28-26 Lancaster Bible victory.
 
For as much excitement as the fourth set brought, the fifth had more, as the Express jumped out to a 6-4 lead after winning four straight points. After a Lancaster Bible point, the Express took three more points and grabbed a 9-5 lead. Lancaster Bible called timeout, and rattled off the next seven points to take a 12-9 lead. Two errors by Wells sandwiched around a block by Hannah Gipe and Bekah Roberts, followed by kills from Gipe, Shuey and Roberts got the run started, and an ace by senior Hannah Thompson ended it, as the Chargers earned one of their biggest scoring runs of the season.
 
Wells wouldn't go away quietly, and tied the match at 14-14 after staring down two match points by the Chargers. The teams went back-and-forth again, exchanging points until 16-16, when Bouslog hammered home a kill to give the Chargers a 17-16 lead. Lancaster Bible finally put the match away with a kill by Goyak, as the Chargers moved onto the NEAC Final for the first time.
 
By the Numbers: Lancaster Bible led Wells in kills, 59-53…Each team had five aces, while the Chargers trailed in blocks, 14-13…Goyak led four Chargers who had double-digit kills, as she had 13 kills to go with six blocks…Heyworth finished with 12 blocks and 10 digs, while Bouslog had 11 kills, 10 digs and two blocks…Gipe had 11 kills and four blocks, while Shuey had six kills, 42 assists, four aces, three blocks and five digs…Thompson had a team-best 17 digs, while senior Erin Harkey added 11…Roberts added six kills and a team-high seven blocks.
 
The Coach Says: "We played really strong in the first set, but just couldn't get out of our own way in the second and third sets, which doesn't work when you're playing a tough team like Wells," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Micah Herron said. "We were down in the fourth set, and we challenged the team to have someone step up, and I give credit to Ashtyn Bouslog for not only leading with her play, but looking the team in the eye and helping change the team's body language. We started grinding away, and came back to win the fourth, and Ashtyn helped get that started."
 
On the Fifth Set: "The set obviously didn't go as planned, as we trailed, 9-5, but we started making some really intelligent plays, and found a way," Herron said. "One of our team covenants is being gritty and finding a way, and we did that really well today when it mattered."
 
On Sunday's NEAC Final: "There is no pressure on us," Herron said. "We are excited to play, but we are the surprise team in this match, and we should be able to play completely free. Morrisville State is a really good team, but let's see what happens. If we stay in the moment and don't get too amped up, I think we have  a chance."
 
Information Hodge Podge: Lancaster Bible is now 6-2 all-time against Wells…The Chargers defeated the Express, 3-0 on Oct. 6 in Lancaster…This was only the second time the Chargers had played in the NEAC Semifinals, as they also appeared in the NEAC Final Four in 2012…Lancaster Bible is now 12-7 in matches away from home this season…The Chargers lost to Morrisville State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-19) on Oct. 20 in Morrisville, N.Y.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible will take on top-seeded Morrisville State on Sunday at 1 p.m…The winner will receive the NEAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament…The match can be watched HERE, while the live stats will be provided HERE.