BOXSCORE

Marissa Harrison (Shavertown, Pa./Lake-Lehman) and Katherine Harrington (LaFayette, N.Y./LaFayette Central) combined for 19 of Wilkes' 33 kills in its 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-21) win over Manhattanville in the Freedom Conference opener. 

        
In the first game, the Lady Colonels jumped out to an 11-3 lead, taking advantage of unforced errors by the Valiants. Wilkes had four service aces in the game and had just two errors to take the early 1-0 game advantage. 

           
A Wilkes ball handling error in the second game broke a 3-3 tie before Manhattanville went on to score four straight points to take a 7-3 lead. After falling behind 9-4, the Lady Colonels rallied back, using an 8-1 run to eventually take an 11-10 lead. A service error by Manhattanville's Christa Nessel gave Wilkes a 12-11 lead which they would not relinquish in the game. 

           
The third game was much like the second as the Valiants jumped out to a 6-3 lead before the Lady Colonels stormed back to tie the match at 10 on a kill by Harrison. Both teams would exchange points before Wilkes would take the lead for good on an ace by Harrison, giving the Lady Colonels a 13-12 advantage. 

           
Wilkes held the Valiants to a .010 hitting percentage and had a season-high 10 total blocks in the win. Harrington led the way with a block solo and three block assists, while Julie Page (New Milford, Pa./Blue Ridge) had two block assists. 

           
The Lady Colonels hit .114 for the match and had 11 service aces, including a game-high four by Harrison. 

           
Wilkes will step out of Freedom Conference action this weekend when they head to Scranton to play in the Scranton Invitational. There, they will take on Muhlenberg, Oneonta State and Ramapo.