WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University women's volleyball squad hosted Misericordia for their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) finale at the Marts Center Wednesday night.
 
The Colonels (14-16, 2-5 MACF) took the first set decisively before dropping the last three to the Cougars (19-15, 4-3 MACF) 25-15, 18-25, 14-25, 23-25. 
 
The Colonels went on a tear in the first set, going on a 15-4 run.  The Cougars clawed back with a 7-2 run of their own but found themselves unable to dig out of their hole, as the Colonels finished the set with a 5-1 run.  The tables turned on the Colonels in the second set, with the Cougars going on a 10-3 run to put the Colonels in a deficit they would struggle to recover from.  Much like the first set, the Colonels erased some of the difference with a 7-2 run, but the Cougars finished the second set with a 5-1 run.
 
The teams exchanged points early on before a 4-0 Misericordia run and a 9-2 Cougar run shortly following that put the Colonels down 19-9.  The Colonels struggled to do much else in the set, as another 5-1 Cougar run all but put away the set for the conference rival. 
 
The two squads put together early runs in the fourth set, with the Cougars starting the set with a 6-0 run and the Colonels answering with a 7-0 run.  The Colonels put together a 4-0 run a few short points later before the Cougars replied with a 5-0 run immediately afterwards.  The Colonels kept pace, however, and as they were down 24-20 staved off defeat with a quick 3-0 run before the Cougars put away the match.
 
Four Colonels had at least five kills for the match, while sophomore setter Karlye Huffman (Sugar Run, PA/Wyalusing) had 29 assists to lead the squad.  Senior outside hitter Jamey Mikovich (Nesquehoning, PA/Panther Valley) had four blocks, while sophomore middle hitter Amy Hadesty (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua Area) had three.  Senior middle hitter Michele Natale (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) and senior outside hitter Alex Ferrier (Auburn, PA/Blue Mountain) both had a pair of service aces.  Mikovich and freshman defensive specialist Caitlin Bower (Blandon, PA/Fleetwood) tied for the team lead with 13 digs apiece.
 
The Colonels are still in contention for the ECAC postseason tournament with a pair of wins in Saturday's tri-match.  They host Alvernia and Hood for Senior Day at the Marts Center to conclude their regular season at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively.  The Colonels are 4-4 against Alvernia, while this is the first time in the live stats era they are playing Hood.