WILKES-BARRE – After falling in straight sets to Albright College in the first match of the day, the Wilkes University women's volleyball team came out with a new look in the second match to earn its own sweep as the two teams split a non-conference doubleheader at the Marts Center on Homecoming Saturday on campus.

Albright won the first match 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-16) and Wilkes took the second match 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-16). The Colonels are now 8-10 overall on the season following the split while the Lions stand at 4-4 overall.

Match one of the day began with the Lions scoring eight of the first 10 points. The Colonels were able to battle all the way back to take a 14-13 lead following a Nicole Fitzpatrick (Newhampton, NY/Minisink Valley) kill and a Jaclyn Rawa (West Chester, PA/Henderson) service ace. However, a 9-0 run by Albright followed to hand the visitors the first set.

The Colonels held an 18-17 lead following an Alexa Cassel (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) ace in the second set but the Lions then scored eight of the next 10 points to take the second set.

Albright used runs of five, three, three, and four points during the third set to finish off the sweep in match one.

Hope Ousey (Exton, PA/Henderson) led Wilkes with six kills while Kelsey Carroll (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe) and Alexis Reedy (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra Area) added five each. Rawa finished with 11 assists and Cassel 10. Ali Yordy (Fairfield, PA/Fairfield Area) and Reedy led the Colonels with 11 digs each. Yordy added four aces and Cassel had three.

The Colonels block was the strong point of the first match as the unit totaled nine stuffs. Carroll and Murie recorded five blocks each to set and tie their career highs respectively.

Sophie Hampton and Brooke Franklin led Albright in the first match with eight kills. Paola Mejias had 27 assists and 11 digs while Kaitlyn Chell led the Lions with 15 digs.

Albright led 18-15 in the first set of the second match but a four-point run for Wilkes gave the Navy and Gold the lead. Fitzpatrick recorded two kills during the run and Cassel had an ace. A Reedy kill and ace by Fitzpatrick put Wilkes ahead 22-20 and another Reedy kill pushed the Colonels advantage to 24-21. A service error by the Lions provided the Colonels with a 25-22 opening set victory.

The second set remained tight until the Colonels surged ahead with a seven-point run to extend their lead to 22-13. Ousey had two kills during the run while Carroll added another. Sierra Hines (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer) and Ousey combined for a block and Fitzpatrick contributed an ace as well. Two kills by Reedy got Wilkes to 24 points and a ball handling error on the Lions gave Wilkes the 25-15 victory to go ahead 2-0 in the match.

The Colonels never trailed in the third set and built their lead steadily throughout. Kills by Ousey and Hines as well as a block by Hines and Reedy helped push the lead to 22-11 in the set that Wilkes won 25-16.

Reedy recorded her third career double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs as the first year led Wilkes in both categories. Fitzpatrick and Carroll added six kills each and Ousey finished with five. Cassel recorded a career high 24 assists in directing the offense to a .206 hitting percentage. The first year setter also added six digs, five aces, and four kills.

Hines led the Colonels block with three and Yordy and Rawa finished with seven digs each.

Franklin paced the Lions with seven kills and four blocks in the second match. Mejias had 22 assists and Chell recorded 11 digs.

Wilkes will return to the court on Wednesday and also return to Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom action when the Colonels host Stevens Institute of Technology at the Marts Center. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.