ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball team captured a four-set victory over Gwynedd Mercy University in a non-league match to begin the 2023 campaign on Friday night at Lees Gymnasium.

The Falcons won by set scores of 25-19, 25-17, 19-25, and 25-16.

The Griffins got out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, but Cedar Crest responded by winning four of the next five points to pull within one. After Gwynedd Mercy went up 8-6 following a kill by Kate Etter, the Falcons rattled off five-straight points to build an 11-8 advantage. The teams traded 4-0 runs later in the set to knot things up at 17. The Falcons would go onto finish the set on an 8-2 run to take the first set, 25-19.  

Cedar Crest got on the scoreboard quick in the second with a 9-2 spurt after a 7-0 run. The Falcons would remain in front by a comfortable margin for the remainder of the set and would eventually capture it by eight points, 25-17.

The third set was tight as the teams traded the first 34 points of the stanza, 17-17. The Griffins finished the set on an 8-2 run to win it by a 25-17 score.

The Falcons built a 5-1 advantage in the fourth set and then led by as many five (18-14) before closing on 7-2 run for the 25-16 score and the 3-1 win.

Junior Alexis Cummins (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) and sophomore Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona) paced Cedar Crest with 12 kills apiece. Senior Ava Grapsy (Macungie, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) followed with nine kills, 12 digs, and four service aces. First-year Nikki Blair (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) added 15 assists and six service aces. Leilani Yang (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge) pitched in a double-double of 16 assists and 12 digs. Senior Rebekka Sanchez-Castro (Columbia, Md./Atholton) recorded 29 digs, eight assists, and three service aces.  

Cedar Crest (1-0 overall) returns to action on Saturday, September 2 at home against Rutgers-Newark. First serve is set for 11:00 a.m.

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