The Lancaster Bible College Women's Volleyball team opened up their 2024 season on Friday night at the Greyhound Premiere Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa., grabbing a pair of wins over both host Moravian and Centenary (N.J.). The Chargers are off to a 2-0 start to the season, while both the Greyhounds and Cyclones drop to 0-2.
at Moravian –
3-2 Win (21-25, 27-29, 25-19, 25-16, 15-12)
How it Happened:
Junior
Riley Dodrer got the first kill of 2024 for the Chargers early in the first set, with sophomore
Eden Belford following suit two points later. Freshman
Madison Reap recorded her first kill to tie the set at 6-6, then sophomore
Lea Sareyka landed back-to-back aces to give LBC the lead. Moravian finished the set with two 3-point bursts to close it out 25-21. The Chargers started set two with a 7-point run to build a 10-1 lead, but the Greyhounds chipped away and took the lead late in the set. The Chargers battled with kills from Reap and Sareyka, but fell once again 29-27 facing a 2-0 deficit.
Lancaster Bible cruised in the third set, reaching another 10-1 lead behind kills from Saryeka and Dodrer. Sophomore
Jessica Fletcher landed back-to-back kills late in the set to put it away 25-19 for the Chargers' first set victory of 2024. The fourth set was tight in the early going, seeing an 11-11 tie. It wasn't long before three aces from senior
Leah Helman sparked a six-point run to build a lead, then two kills from Reap ended the set 25-16 and forced a deciding fifth set between the Chargers and Greyhounds.
The Chargers built a 4-0 lead early in the fifth before Moravian tied it at five all. The Greyhounds took a 9-8 lead, but the Chargers powered back and finished on a three-point run to complete the comeback and get an opening-day win in a five-set thriller.
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers won the battle in kills (58-47) and aces (19-11)
-
Jessica Fletcher finished with a team-high 15 kills on 30 attacks
- Senior
Emma Shaeffer dished 25 assists and sophomore
Madeline Reed had 23 assists
-
Leah Helman landed a game-high six service aces with 14 digs as well
- The Greyhounds were led by Payton Reuber who had a game-high 16 kills
vs Centenary (N.J.) –
3-0 Win (25-15, 25-18, 25-22)
How it Happened:
The Chargers and Cyclones battled early with four tied scores, then kills from
Eden Belford and
Jessica Fletcher propelled LBC forward to a 14-9 lead. The Chargers maintained this lead, and a block from both
Madison Reap and
Riley Dodrer finished off set one 25-15.
The second set was also close at the beginning with the two teams trading two or three points each. Both Reap and
Sheyenne King landed aces in the second set, helping push LBC forward with Belford and
Lea Sareyka adding kills to win set two 25-18.
The Cyclones grabbed a lead early in the third set at 5-2 before the Chargers launched a six-point run to take the lead with three kills from Sareyka and a pair of aces from
Emma Shaeffer. Centenary (N.J.) wouldn't give up, scoring seven straight late in the set to take the lead. A series of Cyclone errors, however, helped the Chargers run away with it and finish off the three-set victory, 25-22.
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers dominated the kills battle 39-22 and had 54 digs to the Cyclones' 40
-
Lea Sareyka led the way for LBC with a career-high 16 kills
-
Emma Shaeffer and
Madeline Reed each dished 14 assists
-
Leah Helman finished with 21 digs and three players landed two service aces
- The Cyclones were led by Poppy Skjonnemand with 12 kills and seven digs
Information to Know:
The Chargers are now 5-0 all-time against Moravian and won their first ever matchup with Centenary (N.J.). Freshman
Madison Reap recorded her first career kill today, tallying 14 total across the two games. Senior
Leah Helman now has 141 career service aces, moving into 10
th all-time for LBC Women's Volleyball. Helman also surpassed 1,300 career digs with 35 today, putting her at 1,322 digs in 5
th all-time. Sophomore
Jessica Fletcher knocked her 200
th career kill against Moravian and
Madeline Reed has reached 600 career assists as a setter.
Up Next:
The Chargers will head back to Moravian tomorrow for another two matches against both Washington (Md.) and Alvernia starting at 10:00 a.m.
