PITTSBURGH, PA (September 24, 2021) -- Down two sets to none, the Susquehanna University volleyball team could have packed it in against host Carnegie Mellon University, turning its attention to Saturday's doubleheader with Westminster College and Mount Union College. 

Instead, the River Hawks (7-4) had different plans, showing determination and fight as they erased a two-set deficit to rally for a 3-2 non-conference victory over the Tartans in action from Wiegand Gym Friday evening with scores of 24-26, 19-25, 25-18, 25-23, and 15-11. The five-set win for the River Hawks was their first of the 2021 season, and the first since defeating Juniata College in five sets back on November 2, 2019. 

Things didn't come easy though for SU, as the first set was a nail-biter all the way through, featuring 13 tie-scores in the stanza. The River Hawks had a set point in the first frame after Brooke LaCesa hammered down a kill to make it 24-23, but CMU responded with three straight points to take a 1-0 match lead. 

CMU (5-6) forced Susquehanna into a match-low .118 hitting percentage in the second set, while finishing with 14 kills of its own to take a 2-0 lead. That's when the River Hawks would respond both offensively and in the service game. With their backs against the wall, SU hit .472 in the third period, posting 20 kills on 36 attempts. Rosina Esposito came to life in the third set, crushing eight kills while Riley O'Dowd added six for Susquehanna. 

The fourth set was another stanza that could have gone either way, but Carnegie Mellon led for a large portion of the set including as late as 15-12. SU would rattle off a 7-2 run highlighted by two kills by O'Dowd and an ace by Lizzie Herestofa to take a 19-16 edge. 

Late in the fourth the Tartans crept back into it getting as close as 23-22 after an ace by Mindee Lai, but Madison Rockey stopped the CMU charge with a big kill and Esposito clinched the fourth set with a kill two points later for the 25-23 win.  

In the fifth set, the home team jumped out to a 5-2 lead but Susquehanna battled back and took a 7-6 lead on a service ace by Esposito. After two kills from the Tartans, SU put the hammer down and took control with six straight points including back-to-back blocks from LaCesa and Kody Dillon to take a 13-8 lead. Dillon would translate that defense to offense to finish things off, chalking up kills for point No. 14 and 15 to give SU the win. The River Hawks hit a whopping .533 in the fifth set as they completed the reverse sweep. 

Esposito started slow by had a monster finish to the match, registering a match-best 21 kills, adding eight digs and two aces while hitting .381 on 42 attempts. O'Dowd continued her strong play with 19 terminations on 40 attacks, and LaCesa tallied 10 kills and five blocks. 

Dillon came up with big play after big play for the River Hawks, as she tallied nine kills, six assisted blocks and two digs. Rockey ran the offense to perfection, posting a season-best 48 assists to go with four blocks and nine digs. Herestofa posted a team-best 17 digs to go with two aces as well. 

SU's net play was big, finishing with a 68-66 kill edge along with a 14-4 block advantage. Anna Cao led CMU with 20 kills, while Jane Dean and Carrie Stewart posted 17 and 11 finishes for the Tartans, respectively. 

Other Notes

• Susquehanna now leads the series with Carnegie Mellon 3-1 going back to 2010. 
• CMU led the dig total, 56-49, while also edging Susquehanna in assists by a 65-59 ledger. 

Up Next

• SU will battle Westminster College and Mount Union College tomorrow afternoon, starting at 1 p.m. against Mount Union. 

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