WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University women's volleyball team dropped both matches of a home tri-match at the Marts Center on Saturday by 3-2 scores. Marywood University won the first match of the day against the Colonels in five sets (25-16, 22-25, 15-25, 25-18, 15-13) and then Hunter College took the final match over Wilkes 3-2 (22-25, 25-13, 19-25, 25-20, 15-4).

Wilkes is now 4-8 overall on the year while Maywood is 4-11 after going 1-1 on the day and Hunter improved to 11-2 by winning both of its matches.

A very back-and-forth first match of the day saw Marywood take control of the first set with a 14-5 run to turn an 8-6 deficit into a 20-13 lead. From there the Pacers won the first set 25-16.

The Colonels used a 7-0 run to gain a 10-4 lead in the second set. Emily Gentzel (Yaphank, NY/Bellport) had two service aces during the run and Alexa Cassel (Mount Joy, PA/Lower Dauphin) and Lylah Oswald (Wyalusing, PA/Wyalusing) had kills. Marywood would chip away to tie the set at 15-15 and again at 17-17 but three straight points for Wilkes put the home side back ahead as Oswald and Allie Murie (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) collected kills and Sierra Hines (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer) provided an ace. Another ace by Gentzel made it 23-19 and the final point came off a Cassel kill as the Colonels won set two 25-22 to even the match at 1-1.

Wilkes went ahead 10-3 in the third set as Hope Ousey (Exton, PA/Henderson) and Hines had two kills with Alexis Reedy (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra Area) adding a kill and two aces. The Pacers stormed back to make it 12-11 but following an error and a Murie kill the Colonels still led 14-11. A seven-point run pushed the Wilkes lead to 22-13 as Hines had three kills with Reedy and Ousey adding one and Cassel putting away two aces. A Hines ace ended the set at 25-15 and put the Colonels ahead in the match 2-1.

Marywood fought back with a strong fourth set, gaining a 17-8 lead on way to the 25-18 win to even the match at 2-2.

In the deciding fifth set, the Pacers gained a 7-4 lead which forced a Wilkes timeout. Wilkes responded with kills by Ousey and two by Nicole Fitzpatrick (New Hampton, NY/Minisink Valley) to tie the score and force a Marywood timeout. A 3-1 run by Wilkes with two kills coming from Reedy gave the Colonels a 12-10 lead but Marywood would score five of the next six points to win the fifth set 15-13 and take the match 3-2.

Hines recorded a season-high 12 kills and hit .476 in the match. Reedy added 11 kills and 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Ousey finished with 10 kills. Cassel finished with 36 assists and eight digs. Gentzel recorded a season-high of four aces to lead Wilkes and added nine digs. Ali Yordy (Fairfield, PA/Fairfield Area) led the Colonels with 15 digs.

Libby Smith led Marywood with 14 kills while Jaedyn Laws had 29 assists and Gianna Norton 20 digs.

Another back-and-forth match awaited the Colonels to close the day against Hunter. In the first set neither team led by more than three until Wilkes went ahead 21-17 with a kill by Reedy and an ace by Yordy leading the way. Kills by Hines kept Wilkes ahead 23-19 and 24-20. Fitzpatrick had the final kill as Wilkes took set one 25-22.

The Hawks controlled the second set, including a 10-0 run on its way to winning the set 25-13.

In the third set Cassel got the Colonels off to a good start with two aces. Wilkes led 7-1 after the early going and still led 13-7 following two consecutive kills by Reedy. Hunter rallied back to tie the set at 14-14 and pushed ahead 17-16. Wilkes answered back with three points on an Ousey block, a Hawks error, and a Fitzpatrick kill to take a 19-17 lead. After a Hunter point, Fitzpatrick had a kill and two aces along with a kill by Reedy as Wilkes went ahead 23-18. Two kills by Reedy ended the third set with Wilkes winning 25-19 and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set an Ousey kill put Wilkes ahead 5-2 and a Jenna Baron (Nanticoke, PA/Greater Nanticoke Area) kill gave the Colonels back a three-point lead at 6-3. Five consecutive points for Hunter pushed the visitors ahead 8-6 and it was a lead that the Hawks would not relinquish as they went onto win the set 25-20 and push the match to the final decisive set.

In the fifth it was all Hunter as they scored the first six points on their way to a 15-4 victory to take the match 3-2.

Reedy led Wilkes in the match with 11 kills while Fitzpatrick followed with nine. Cassel tied a season-high with 38 assists and had a season-high five aces. Hines and Ousey led Wilkes at the net with four blocks. Yordy led the Colonels with 14 digs and Gentzel added a season-high 13.

Hunter was led by Tessa Winkleman's 21 kills and Bethany Tomaneng's 41 assists. Pearl Mensah had seven blocks and Erin Dugan 19 digs.

Wilkes is back at the Marts Center on Tuesday to host Clarks Summit University at 7:00 p.m. in non-conference action.