Tartan volleyball dominates home invite
The women’s volleyball team took advantage of home court this weekend and dominated Franklin & Marshall College 3–1, Lake Erie College 3–0, and University of Pittsburgh–Greensburg 3–0 during the Carnegie Mellon Invitational which took place in the UC gym. The Tartans have won their last five matches. Their season record stands at 12–8 and 2–1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
On Friday evening, Carnegie Mellon faced the F & M Diplomats; surging early, the Tartans won the first game 30–18. The Diplomats fought back to take the second 30–28, despite a late Tartan rally which tied the game at 27–27.
Carnegie Mellon increased its pressure and won the next two games by scores of 30–21 and 30–22, respectively, to secure the match victory. Senior Abbie Toney (14), first-year Caroline Size (12), junior Chisom Amaechi (12), senior Kate Stepp (10), and sophomore Jessica Brackin (10) collected double-digit kills for the Tartans.
“Friday night’s Franklin & Marshall game was really fun,” Toney said. “It was senior night. A lot of people showed up to watch and everyone on the court was performing. Any game when you have five hitters with double digits is impressive.”
Sophomore Samantha Carter added 56 assists and three service aces to the Tartan offense. First-year Cameron Griffin led Carnegie Mellon’s defense with 13 digs. Sophomore Liz DeVleming and Stepp contributed eight digs apiece.
The team’s confidence carried into Saturday as the Tartans easily swept Lake Erie (30–24, 30–22, 30–14) and Pitt–Greensburg (30–13, 30–22, 30–27).
Against Lake Erie, Toney again led the Tartans in kills, accumulating eight throughout the match. Size and sophomore Megan Killeen each added seven kills to the team total. Carter amassed 37 assists, while Griffin collected 10 digs.
“We played Erie Saturday morning and it was a really quick match,” Toney said. “When you play less competitive teams they slow you down, so being able to seal the deal in 51 minutes was good for us.”
Against Pitt–Greensburg, Brackin and Amaechi led the Tartans in kills, collecting 11 and eight, respectively. Carter added 33 assists, and Griffin tallied 12 digs and nine service aces in the win.
This weekend the Tartans will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to participate in the second UAA Round Robin. Carnegie Mellon will face New York University (10 a.m.) and Brandeis University (12:30 p.m.) Saturday, and Emory University (9 a.m.) and the University of Rochester (11:30 a.m.) Sunday.
“We haven’t beaten [New York University] since my freshman year, so I really want to come out of that game on top and set the tone for the rest of the weekend,” Toney said. “Emory is rated fourth in the nation, so that will be our toughest matchup of the weekend.”