BETHLEHEM, PA – On Saturday afternoon, the Maritime College volleyball team played its second tri-match of the season at Moravian. After falling to Gwynedd Mercy (5-2) by a 25-13, 25-19, 25-18 score, the Privateers (1-6) dropped a 25-8, 25-13, 25-17 decision to the host Greyhounds (6-5) at Johnston Hall.
In Maritime's first match of the day against Gwynedd Mercy, the Privateers took an early 3-1 lead in the first set. The Griffins rallied to go up 7-5 before Maritime scored three of the next four points to level the score at 8-8. Gwynedd Mercy ended the set on a 17-5 run, though, to record a 25-13 win.
After the Griffins opened up a 6-3 cushion to start the second set, Maritime rallied to force a 10-10 deadlock. Gwynedd Mercy used a 12-4 spurt to pull ahead 22-14 and closed out the set by a 25-19 count to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
There were nine ties and five lead changes in the third set. Maritime went ahead 8-5 on a block by
Ashley Pavarini (Ossining, NY) and
Samantha Hart (Brooklyn, NY), but the Griffins responded with five of the next six points to take a 10-9 advantage. After the Privateers went back in front, 12-11, on a
Karelys Rolon (Hudson, FL) service ace, Gwynedd Mercy used a 9-3 run to build a 20-15 cushion. Maritime got back within three at 21-18 before the Griffins scored the final four points to clinch the set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.
Rolon and
Soraya Hall (Valrico, FL) paced the Privateers with five kills apiece. Pavarini finished with eight assists and eight digs, while
Mikaela Thiel (Fort Morgan, CO) also distributed eight assists. Hart had a team-best four blocks, and
Victoria Cordero (Bronx, NY) recorded nine digs.
For Gwynedd Mercy, Bria Purnell led the way with nine kills, and she added 12 digs. Kate Etter contributed eight kills and 10 digs to go along with three aces, while Ayanna Gaston registered a double-double with 24 assists and 13 digs. Overall, the Griffins outdug the Privateers 48-35.
Against Moravian, the Privateers fell into an early 8-2 hole. Maritime scored the next three points to get within 8-5, but the Greyhounds countered with a 5-0 spurt to increase their advantage to 13-5. Moravian hit .417 in the first set, making just one error (with 11 kills on 24 attempts) in a 25-8 win.
Maritime opened up a 3-1 lead to start the second set before Moravian rallied to go ahead 8-5. After the Privateers got back within two at 11-9, the Greyhounds rattled off nine straight points to extend the margin to 20-9. Moravian took the second set by a 25-13 count.
The Greyhounds built an early 3-1 advantage in the third set, but the Privateers captured the next four points, going up 5-3 on a Cordero ace. Moravian responded with a 13-1 run, though, to take a 16-6 lead. After the Privateers pulled within 16-10, the Greyhounds countered with a 6-2 spurt to regain a 10-point cushion, 22-12. With a 25-17 set win, Moravian closed out a 3-0 match victory.
Hall finished with seven kills and seven digs against the Greyhounds. Rolon had five kills and a match-high 16 digs, and Cordero tallied 12 digs. Thiel, meanwhile, distributed a team-best five assists.
Payton Reuber recorded 10 kills on .529 hitting for Moravian. As a team, the Greyhounds smashed 37 kills and hit .278 (10 errors, 97 attempts). Ally Piltnick handed out 19 assists to go along with six digs, while Sam Love paced Moravian with nine digs.
Up next for the Privateers is a 7 p.m. contest at NJCU (2-5) on Tuesday. It will be the first meeting between the schools since 2021.
