GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball team lost to Gwynedd Mercy University in a non-conference match, 3-1, on Wednesday night.

The Griffins captured the match by scores of 25-21, 25-16, 19-25, 25-20.

Gwynedd Mercy started the first set on a 9-3 run, finished off by a kill from junior Charlotte Pugh (Philadelphia, Pa.). The Falcons climbed back into the frame with a 6-1 run to trim the deficit to one, 10-9. After the home team went up 17-13, Cedar Crest responded with a 6-0 run to snag a two-point lead, 19-17. The remainder of the set stayed tight and after the Falcons pulled tied the score at 20, Gwynedd Mercy scored the final four points to win the set 25-21.

The home squad started fast again in set number two, getting out to an 11-4 advantage. Gwynedd Mercy would stay comfortably in front and went on to take the second set by a 25-16 score.

Cedar Crest rallied to take the third set, 25-19. After a kill from the Griffins to cut the score to 16-15, the Falcons closed on a 9-4 run to put Cedar Crest on the board, 2-1.

Gwynedd Mercy went onto win the fourth set, 25-20, and the match in four sets.

Fifth-year Bria Purnell (Reading, Pa.) registered a match-high 18 kills for the Griffins. Junior Ayanna Gaston (Middletown, Del.) dished out 38 assists. Sophomore Kate Etter (Chambersburg, Pa.) had a team-high 13 digs.

For the Falcons, graduate student Ziah Melton (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) recorded a team-best 12 kills. Sophomore Tianlly Davila (Frederick, Md./Governor Thomas Johnson) had 34 assists. Graduate student Rebekka Sanchez-Castro (Columbia, Md./Atholton) collected a match-high 20 digs.

Cedar Crest (4-9 overall) will return home for a tri-match on Saturday, September 28. The Falcons will square off against Ursinus College at noon, followed by a matchup with Goucher College at 4:00 p.m. Gwynedd Mercy (8-4 overall) will host Penn State Brandywine and Notre Dame of Maryland University in a tri-match on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.