Cedar Crest College Athletics

ASTON, Pa. — The Cedar Crest College volleyball team lost to Neumann University 3-1 on Tuesday in its season opener at The Mirenda Center. The Falcons won the opening set 25-23, but dropped the next three 5-25, 20-25 and 20-25.

The first set ended with Cedar Crest converting set point on a Knights' error, completing a 25-23 win after the home team continued to answer late. Earlier, the Falcons got direct scoring from the service line with aces by first-years Taylor Friel (Nazareth, Pa/Nazareth Area) and Gabby Manygoats (Bloomfield, N.M./Navajo Preparatory School), while sophomore Kayla Duenkel (Central Square, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) put down kills off first-year Autumn Clewell (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton Area) assists during the middle of the set. Neumann pushed back with kills from sophomore Soleil-La'Jour Staggs (Philadelphia, Pa.), junior Melissa Eddy (Dover, Del.) and junior Taylor Long (Millersville, Pa.) and later scored on a service ace, forcing the Falcons to keep finding side-out points. Cedar Crest did so with kills from Friel, first-year Kylie Heffner (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus), Manygoats and Duenkel, and the final opponent error ended the set in the Falcons' favor.

In the second set, Cedar Crest spent the frame trying to answer sustained Knights' service pressure, with Neumann taking the first 12 recorded points before the Falcons sided out on a kill. First-year Brielle Nemenzo (Jessup, Md.), junior Julia Solomon (Ridley Park, Pa.), first-year Taylor Dinnis (Willow Grove, Pa.) and Eddy produced kills during that opening stretch, and Eddy added three service aces as the Falcons were held off the board. Cedar Crest scoring came in side-out moments, with three kills and two Knights' service errors accounting for its five points. Neumann later added another service run behind sophomore Emma Kovacs (Flemington, N.J.), whose stretch included three aces, and the Falcons could not string consecutive points together in a 25-5 set loss.

A nine-point Cedar Crest run with eight straight service points came in the third set, but the Knights answered late and took the set 25-20. The response began after Duenkel's second kill among the Falcons' early points, and the ensuing service stretch produced five aces, another Cedar Crest kill and two Neumann errors. The Falcons later added points through block pressure, with two Knights attack errors coming on Cedar Crest blocks, and added another ace before the Neumann late push. The visitors had sideout points on two late kills and a Knights service error, but Neumann followed a Falcons' kill by scoring the final six points to close the set.

In the fourth set, Cedar Crest continued to answer late, including a three-point push behind consecutive Knights' errors and a service ace from first-year Gloria Slavik (Key West, Fla./Basilica), but the Neumann closed out the set 25-20.

Sophomore Phoebe Pietila (Hayesville, N.C./Hayesville) recorded 13 digs in four sets for the Falcons. Heffner posted 10 kills to lead that category, while Friel led the squad with seven service aces. Clewell registered a team-high two blocks and 14 assists.

Cedar Crest (0-1 overall) stays on the road for a tri-match at Delaware Valley University on Saturday, September 5. The Falcons will face Wilkes University at 1:00 p.m. and the host Aggies at 3:00 p.m. Neumann (1-0 overall) will travel to Rhode Island to take part in the Roger Williams University Invitational, playing the host Hawks on Friday, September 4 at 4:00 p.m.