The Lancaster Bible College Women's Volleyball team hosted their first match of the season in the Horst Athletic Center on Tuesday night, taking on Elizabethtown and earning a strong 3-0 sweep in front of the home crowd. The Chargers reach .500 on the year at 2-2 overall while the Blue Jays suffer their first loss at 2-1 overall.
 
How it Happened:
The Chargers got off to a 3-1 start after some Blue Jay errors, then scored four straight to take a 9-6 lead with kills from juniors Jessica Fletcher and Lea Sareyka. The teams traded points throughout the middle of the set until LBC launched a massive eight-point run behind freshman Karinna Wolfe's strong serve and two kills each by Fletcher and sophomore Madison Reap. A final kill from Fletcher closed out a set-one win 25-14.
 
It was the Blue Jays that started out hot in set two as they led 5-2 early, but it didn't last long as the Chargers surged to take an 11-9 lead featuring a big solo block by Reap and a service ace from junior Madeline Reed. Elizabethtown answered right back with a four-point run with two kills, but back-to-back kills from Sareyka and Fletcher gave LBC the lead back at 17-15. Wolfe and Reed both had aces late to maintain the lead, then Reap and Sareyka landed kills to close out the set 25-19 and put LBC up in the match 2-0.
 
The third set was the best yet as the teams traded big runs and kept the set electric the whole way. The Chargers owned the beginning of the set with a 5-1 lead and then a 10-5 advantage after some E-Town miscues. The lead reached eight points for LBC at 18-10 after sophomore Kaitlyn Weitzel landed a service ace, but from there the Blue Jays didn't back down, scoring six straight points to pull within one and then getting four straight right after to pull ahead 23-22. With the Blue Jays on set point, senior Riley Dodrer smashed a kill to tie it at 24 and force extra points as the teams traded blows. A Reap kill broke the tie and then a Blue Jay error sealed the deal as the Chargers escaped the set 28-26 and close out their first ever sweep of Elizabethtown to open their home 2025 slate.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers led in kills 38-23 and in aces 7-4, while the Blue Jays had four blocks to the Chargers' one
- Jessica Fletcher led the Chargers with 10 kills and just two errors
- Madison Reap added nine kills and had 14 digs as well
- Senior Madison Timberlake recorded 18 digs with two service aces
- Kaitlyn Weitzel and Madeline Reed had 16 and 11 assists respectively
- The Blue Jays were led by Lucy Stanek with nine kills and 12 digs
 
Information to Know:
The Chargers are now 2-15 all-time against Elizabethtown and have swept the Blue Jays for the first time ever, earning a four-set win last season at a neutral site. The Chargers have won their last three home openers, all of them being sweeps. Lancaster Bible has an active five-game winning streak at home dating back to last season including playoffs.
 
Up Next:
The Chargers remain at home as they take on Eastern on Thursday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Horst Athletic Center.