SAINT MARY'S CITY, Md. — The Cedar Crest College volleyball team lost a pair of matches on Saturday at the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena, falling in straight sets to both St. Mary's College of Maryland and Eastern University. The scores were 13-25, 15-25, 14-25 against St. Mary's, and 25-13, 25-9, 25-10 against Eastern.

Match One – St. Mary's College of Maryland 3, Cedar Crest 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-14)

In the match against the Seahawks, the Falcons started the first set with an early point off an attack error by junior Hope Parrish (Newport News, Va.). The teams traded points initially, with senior Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona) and first-year Kayla Duenkel (Central Square, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) contributing kills to keep the score tight. However, St. Mary's gained momentum with a 6-0 run, extending their lead to 12-6. Cedar Crest responded with a service ace from first-year Jasmine Beck (Allentown, Pa./Building 21) and another kill by Everett, narrowing the gap slightly, but the Seahawks maintained control, concluding the set at 25-13.

In the second set, the Falcons initiated play with a kill from Beck, set up by first-year Phoebe Pietila (Hayesville, N.C./Hayesville). Cedar Crest briefly led, but St. Mary's seized the advantage with a 7-2 run. The visitors fought back with key kills from first-year Samantha Fitzpatrick (Royse City, Texas/Community), closing in at 13-10, but ultimately fell 25-15 as the Seahawks pulled away late.

The third set began for the Falcons with an ace from senior Tianlly Davila (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Governor Thomas Johnson), giving them an early 2-0 lead. However, St. Mary's responded with a series of service aces and effective attacks, eventually winning the set 25-14.

Davila contributed significantly with 11 assists and two service aces, along with eight digs. Everett had a productive game with 10 digs and three kills, while Fitzpatrick led Cedar Crest in scoring with five kills. Beck added three kills and one service ace for a total of four points.

Match Two – Eastern 3, Cedar Crest 0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-10)

Against Eastern, the Falcons began the first set with Davila orchestrating the offense, but the Eagles quickly took control with an 8-0 run led by two service aces from senior Viviana Fragoso (La Mirada, Calif.). Cedar Crest attempted a rally with kills from Beck, Everett, and junior Maiya Piccarreta (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone Area), but ended the set down 25-13.

In the second set, Eastern built an early lead. Despite efforts from Everett and Fitzpatrick, the Falcons could not regain momentum, closing the set at 25-9.
The final set saw the Eagles establish control early. Cedar Crest managed to break Eastern's scoring run with a kill by Duenkel, but the Eagles' offense proved too strong, concluding the set at 25-10.
 
Everett led the team with eight kills, finishing with a .240 hitting percentage. Davila contributed significantly to the playmaking, posting 16 assists and adding seven digs. Pietila played a key role in the back row, recording 11 digs to support the defense. Piccarreta was effective in her defensive efforts, collecting six digs across three sets.

For Eastern, Fragoso excelled with six service aces and 18 digs. Senior Hannah Pringle (East Greenville, Pa.) was a standout attacker, recording 14 kills with a .667 hitting percentage, while junior Taylor Stone (Severna Park, Md.) facilitated the offense with 15 assists and two service aces.

Cedar Crest (4-20 overall, 3-4 United East) returns home to host Penn College on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m.