ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball raced past Wilkes University, 3-0, in a non-conference match at Lees Gymnasium on Thursday night. The Falcons won by set scores of 25-11, 25-17, and 25-17.

Cedar Crest got off to a fast start, hitting .391 in the first set. The Falcons built a 6-1 lead and extended it to as many as 13 on four separate occasions. The last 13-point advantage came after first-year Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona ) and senior Aliyah Rhoden (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) combined for a block to make the score, 24-11, as the set would end in the 25-11 score.

Cedar Crest jumped out to another big lead, going up 9-2, after an error by the Colonels. Wilkes was able to climb back to within two (9-7), but the Falcons were able to spark an 11-2 spurt to go up 20-9 and would ultimately take the second set, 25-17.

The third set was tightly contested as the teams traded the first 22 points (11-11). A 6-0 run gave Cedar Crest a 16-11 advantage and the Falcons remained up by a comfortable margin as they came away with the 25-17 third set win and the victory.

Junior Maddison Minyo (Covington, Pa./North Penn-Mansfield) paced Cedar Crest with seven kills while sophomore Alexis Cummins (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) followed with six. Senior Kelsee Schouppe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) tallied six kills and eight total blocks, as the Falcons totaled three solo and 20 block assists on the match. Junior Rebekka Sanchez-Castro (Columbia, Md./Atholton) registered a match-high 19 digs in the triumph while junior Ava Grapsy (Macungie, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) dished out a match-high 24 assists.

Junior Nicole Fitzpatrick (New Hampton, N.Y.) led Wilkes with seven kills.

Cedar Crest (3-5 overall) remains home to host Rosemont College and Gallaudet University in a tri-match on Saturday, October 1 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Falcons will open conference play with the Ravens followed by a match against the Bison at 2:00 p.m. Wilkes (3-12 overall) will next host New Jersey City University and Neumann University in a tri-match on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.

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