ASTON, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball team suffered a pair of setbacks on Saturday afternoon, falling to Neumann University, 3-0, in the opener and then dropping its second match to Ursinus College in a 3-1 final on the last day of the Knights Invitational.

Match One - Neumann 3, Cedar Crest 0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-21)

Junior Regan Hickey (Aston, Pa.) led the Knights with 14 kills while first-year Lauren Garvey (Aston, Pa.) chipped in with nine. Sophomore Dani Smith (Morinville, Alberta) assisted Neumann 31 times during the win and Hickey also recorded a team-high 17 digs.  

Senior Kelsee Schouppe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) led the way for Cedar Crest with seven kills and three blocks. Sophomore Alexis Cummins (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) followed behind with six kills. Junior Ava Grapsy (Macungie, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) tallied another double-double, this time with 14 assists and 11 digs, while junior Rebekka Sanchez Castro notched a match-high 18 digs.

The first set was closely contested, with the teams trading the first 28 points. After Cummins connected on a kill to make it 16-15 in favor of Neumann, the Knights rattled off a 9-3 run to take the opening set, 25-18.

Neumann controlled the second set with a score of 25-13 and opened the second set by building a six-point advantage (14-8). The Falcons began to fight back with a 7-2 spurt, making the score 16-15. Cedar Crest was able to pull within one late in the set, but it was the Knights taking it 25-21.

Match Two – Ursinus 3, Cedar Crest 1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 26-24)

Senior Katie Cressman (Blandon, Pa.) led the way for the Bears with 25 kills and 11 digs while junior Gabby McGinn (Wallingford, Pa.) and first-year Reena Robinson (New Castle, Del.) pitched in five kills apiece. First-year Erin Dychdala (Phoenixville, Pa.) dished out 23 assists while Robinson and senior Ashley Kelly (Washington Crossing, Pa.) each tallied 14 digs.

Cummins and first-year Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona ) paced the Cedar Crest attack with 11 kills apiece while Grapsy handed out a match-high 37 assists. Sanchez-Castro guided the Falcons on the defensive end with a match-high 26 digs.  

After Cedar Crest took the opening set 25-19, Ursinus answered back with a 25-22 win in the second set.

The Bears took control of the third set early and raced out to a 10-3 lead. The Falcons were able to get back to within two points, but Ursinus pushed the lead back to a comfortable margin to come away, 25-16.

The fourth set was tight as the squads traded the first 46 points. Cedar Crest won three straight points, but the Bears won four of the final five points to take the set 26-24 and the match in the 3-1 final.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Sanchez-Castro was named to the All-Tournament Team. 

Cedar Crest (1-5 overall) will return to Lees Gymnasium to host Immaculata University on Saturday, September 24 in its Homecoming match beginning at 10:00 a.m.