Medaille Edges Behrend in Five

ERIE, Pa. – Jenna Cleversley had a game-high 18 kills and 29 digs for the double-double, leading Medaille past Penn State Behrend 3-2 (15-25, 25-15, 25-27, 25-19, 15-10) in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks (8-18, 4-1 AMCC) earned just their third win over the Lions (17-9, 4-2 AMCC) since the all-time series began in 2005 and their second five-set victory to stay ranked among the top teams in the conference.

Hannah Saunders (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward) dished out 30 assists, helping Alyssa Samarco (Plum, PA/Plum) register a team-best 16 kills to go with 17 digs to reach the 500-career mark in each category tonight. Libero Courtney Hopson (Erie, PA/McDowell) led with 26 digs.

The Lions came out ready in the first set, climbing to a 21-9 lead and allowing just six more points for a 25-15 win. Medaille returned the favor in the second set with an identical mentality, jumping to a 20-11 lead and even the game at 1-all with a 25-15 victory.

Neither team counted themselves out, especially with the third set going extra points. Behrend had set point at 24-22 and a kill from Simmone Talford and then Cleversley made it 24-all, forcing a Lions time out. A pair of errors got the Mavericks game point, but a kill from Samarco brought it back to even and then two costly errors by Medaille put Behrend ahead 2-1 in the match.

The Mavericks trailed by one point (5-4) early in the fourth set. A kill by Lydia Penberthy and an ace by Katie Kajtoch gave Medaille the lead for good, eventually ending in a 25-19 win to force a fifth set.

In the fifth and final set, the Mavericks committed one error and registered 10 kills out of 15 points to earn the conference win. Medaille had the momentum from the fourth set and were almost near perfect to get past the Lions.

Meredith Snyder (Parker, PA/Allegheny Clarion Valley) added 12 assists and 10 kills, and was two blocks shy of a triple-double with eight.

Behrend returns to action on Saturday against Penn State Altoona. Match begins at 1 p.m.