WC Bests Lancaster Bible, Falls to McDaniel

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- Washington College went 1-1 in a tri-match this afternoon at the Cain Athletic Center. The host Shorewomen fell to McDaniel in five sets (25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-11) in a Centennial Conference match and then rebounded to sweep Lancaster Bible in three sets (25-15, 27-25, 25-22). McDaniel took all three sets to best Lancaster Bible in the middle match (25-12, 25-19, 25-11). The Green Terror, who won both matches are now 17-10 overall and 5-3 in the conference, while the Shorewomen are now 10-14 and 0-8 respectively. The Chargers, who lost both contests fall to 15-15 on the season.

In the first match of the day, McDaniel downed Washington College in a five-set thriller. The Green Terror won the first set, 25-16, before the Shorewomen won the next two sets, 25-21 and 25-22 respectively, to take a 2-1 lead. In the third set, Washington took a 21-14 lead, but McDaniel rallied to cut the lead to 24-22, but a kill by freshman defensive specialist Rita Rivera (Plymouth Meeting, PA/Plymouth-Whitemarsh) gave the Shorewomen a three-point win in the third set. The Green Terror led 18-17 in the fourth set, but won the last seven points to win the set and tie the match at two sets apiece. McDaniel jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the fifth set, but Washington won five of the next eight points to cut the lead to 11-9, but the Green Terror won four of the last six points to win the set and the match. McDaniel's Taylor Herrgott registered a kill to end the match.

Kristen Nuckles, Lanni Reisinger and Anne McShea all netted double-doubles in the win for the Green Terror. Nuckles had a match-best 47 assists and team-high 18 digs, Reisinger had 11 kills and 13 digs, and McShea had 12 kills and 13 digs. Herrgott led all players with 21 kills in the victory, while hitting .372 in the match. Sara Hanlon pounded 11 kills, while Katie Ferguson had 15 digs for McDaniel.

Washington freshman outside hitter Jenny Lee (Wilmington, DE/Mount Pleasant) tallied a double-double with a team-high 14 kills and added 15 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Forget (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) chipped in with 10 kills, while senior setter Caitlin Ward (Wantagh, NY/Holy Trinity) handed out 32 assists. Junior libero Traci Daelemans (Tracys Landing, MD/Southern) led all players with 23 digs.

In the final match of the day, Washington topped visiting Lancaster Bible in three sets. The Shorewomen cruised to a 25-15 victory in the opening set. WC won the first five points of the set and never trailed. In the second set, the Chargers jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but the Shorewomen responded with a 7-2 run of their own to even the match at 9-9. With Lancaster Bible leading 17-15, Washington netted five unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead. Lancaster Bible won seven of the next 11 points to even the set at 24-24. WC won two of the next three points to take a 26-25 lead and a block by junior middle hitter Maria Whitman (Galesville, MD/Southern) sealed the second set for the hosts and a 27-25 win. Lancaster Bible jumped out to an 11-8 cushion in the third set, but a 11-4 run by Washington gave the hosts a 19-15 lead. The Chargers went on a 4-1 run to cut the lead to 20-19, but the Shorewomen won five of the last eight points to grab the set and match. A ball handling error by the Chargers ended the match.

Forget had 10 kills to lead WC and tying for the match-high in the win. Ward led all players with 27 assists, while Daelemans had 19 digs in the triumph. The Shorewomen hit .203 in the win, including a blistering .366 in the opening set.

Lauren Robertson had 10 kills to lead Lancaster Bible in the loss, while Elissa Hunsberger and Alishia Landis had 16 and 11 assists respectively. Brittney Becker led all players with 23 digs in the match, while Lauren Heliger had 14 digs for the visitors.

The Green Terror broomed the Chargers in the middle match. For McDaniel, Herrgott had 12 kills and hit .462 in the victory, committing zero attacking errors in 26 attempts. Nuckles handed out a match-high 29 assists, while McShea chalked up 11 digs to lead all participants. For Lancaster Bible, Becker had 10 digs to pace the Chargers.

Washington returns to action on Wednesday, October 28, hosting Bryn Mawr for a 7 p.m. conference match. It will be the home finale for the Shorewomen.