WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes Colonels women's volleyball team hosted a tri-match against Rutgers-Camden and Messiah at the Marts Center Saturday. 
 
The Colonels (14-15) toppled Rutgers-Camden (12-15) 3-0 27-25, 25-18, 25-23 in the first match of the afternoon before being dropped by Messiah (21-6) 3-0 20-25, 17-25, 14-25.  The Colonels avenged their 3-0 loss to the Scarlet Raptors at Rutgers-Camden September 21st.
 
The Colonels took an early lead in the first set against the Scarlet Raptors off of the strength of senior Julie Murphy (Mountaintop, PA/Crestwood) and Jamey Mikovich's (Nesquehoning, PA/Panther Valley) serving to sit at 12-8.  The teams exchanged points until Rutgers-Camden went on a 4-0 run to take a 16-15 lead, but kills by sophomore Laura Booths (Lake Ariel, PA/Western Wayne) helped the Colonels respond with a 4-1 run of their own.  The back and forth continued with the Scarlet Raptors going on a 5-1 run to take a 22-20 lead in the set.   The Colonels finished off the set with a 7-3 run with four Mikovich kills.
 
The Scarlet Raptors replied with a 4-0 run early in the second set thanks to the Mulligan sisters, but the Colonels answered with a 7-2 run to take a 12-10 lead in the set.  The two bounced points back and forth until sophomore Katie Evans (Berwick, PA/Berwick) took the set and helped lead the Colonels to a 7-0 run to seal the set for Wilkes.
 
They jumped out early in the third set with a Mikovich kill and serve helping fuel an 8-2 run to take a 14-7 lead in the set.  The Scarlet Raptors clawed away at the lead until they were down only 20-16 before taking an 8-3 run of their own to tie the set at 23 apiece.  The Colonels took the set and match with two points to prevent extra points 25-23.
 
Mikovich led the way for the Colonels with 20 kills and 17 digs, as well as a team-leading three service aces.  Sophomore setter Karlye Huffman (Sugar Run, PA/Wyalusing) had 37 assists to fuel the Colonels offensive attack and added in 10 digs on defense.  Fellow sophomore Amy Hadesty (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua Area) came away with a team-leading 3 blocks, while Murphy had 11 digs for the match.
 
In the second match against Messiah, the Falcons took control of the match early.  They jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first set.  The Colonels took advantage of a series of Falcons errors to go on a 5-0 run and close within two.  They managed to close within a point of the Falcons at 14-13 before the Falcons went on a 7-1 run to take command of the set.  The Colonels clawed back with a 5-2 run of their own but the Falcons sealed the set 25-20.
 
In the second set, the Falcons and Colonels each started with a 4-0 run to sit tied early before the Falcons added on another 4-0 run to take an 8-4 lead.  A 6-2 run in the middle of the set expanded the Falcon lead to 18-11, but the Colonels answered back with a 6-2 run of their own to close within two.  A 5-0 Falcon run claimed the set 25-17 in favor of the Falcons.
 
The Falcons set the tone early in the third set with a 6-1 run that put the Colonels in a hole they would not recover from.  The teams exchanged points through most of the set, but a 4-1 Falcon run extended their lead to 16-9 in the middle of the set.  The Colonels would put up a few more points before a 7-1 run clinched the set and match for the Falcons.
 
Mikovich and senior Michele Natale (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) each had a pair of service aces against the Falcons.  Mikovich added in 10 digs.  Murphy had 11 digs in the second match while Huffman had 18 assists.
 
The Colonels return to the Marts Center for their final conference home match of the season.  They play host to Misericordia at 7:00 p.m.  The Colonels are 6-8 in the series during the live stats era and have lost four of the last five matches.