WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University Colonels hosted Marywood University and College of Mount Saint Vincent for a tri-match Saturday at the Marts Center.
 
The young Colonels (2-1) swept Marywood (2-2) 25-23, 26-24, 25-20, before falling short to a seasoned Mount Saint Vincent (3-1) in a 3-0 (21-25, 19-25, 21-25) affair. 
 
The Navy and Gold kept the Pacers at arm's length throughout the first two sets.  The Pacers kept pace but could never close the gap in the 25-23 and 26-24 sets.  The Colonels cruised to a 19-10 lead in the third set and staved off a Pacer run to clinch the sweep 25-20.
 
Opposite hitter Hope Ousey (Exton, PA/Henderson) led the Colonels with nine kills in the first match.  Three Colonels had two aces in the close battle.  Junior middle hitter Allison Murie (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) led the young squad with four blocks, while Alexa Cassel (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) and Jaclyn Rawa (West Chester, PA/Henderson) had 17 and 14 assists respectively as they shared setter duties.  Libero Ali Yordy (Fairfield, PA/Fairfield Area) set a career high in digs with 22.
 
The Colonels struggled early against the Dolphins, falling behind 11-4 in the first set.  An 8-3 Navy and Gold run put them in striking distance at 17-14.  The two teams exchanged 4-0 runs, but a 2-0 rally by the Dolphins pushed the first set out of reach.   The second set started similarly to the first, with a Dolphins 8-3 lead.  The Colonels roared back with a 5-0 run fueled by Cassel serving.  A 9-2 Mount Saint Vincent run was followed by a 6-0 Navy and Gold run to put the Colonels close at 17-16, but a 6-1 Dolphin run put the 25-19 set out of reach for the Colonels.
 
The Colonels took an early 5-0 lead in the third set, before the Dolphins responded in kind with a 6-0 run.  The teams traded points back and forth before a 6-2 Mount Saint Vincent run put the set at 15-11.  The Colonels replied with a 5-2 run to inch within a point, but never overcame the Dolphins as they put together a late 4-1 run to put away the set and match in the Dolphins favor.
 
Madison Gale fueled the Dolphins offense with 33 assists, while Rianna Rivera and Lindsay DeBoer led the experienced squad with nine kills.  Junior opposite hitter Kelsey Carroll (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe) led the Colonels with eight kills.  Rawa led the Colonels in assists (16) and digs (14) in the loss.
 
The young Colonels look to continue their season with a four-game road swing.  They travel to Doylestown, Pa. to start Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom play on Wednesday against Delaware Valley.  The Colonels are 10-3 against their conference foe in the live stats era and won the last match they played in 2019 in a 3-0 sweep.