Photos and Written By Marquis Frias, Sports Editor
The Susquehanna Volleyball team punched their ticket after a 3-2 win over Drew Saturday at O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
The River Hawks survived a potential comeback from the Rangers, who won two straight sets after going down 2-0 to Susquehanna.
The first set saw a cat and mouse game that featured Susquehanna consistently stretching their lead in the early going, however Drew was able to keep it close with rallies of their own. Junior middle hitter Addison Dodge and first year outside hitter both recorded multiple kills in the set, while the defense helped force attacking errors for Drew.
With Drew leading 20-19, a kill by senior middle hitter Emma Willow followed by an attacking error saw the River Hawks take the lead late into the first set. Back in forth play saw both teams scoring alternate points, however two kills by Drew’s Zack Melissa gave the Rangers a 23-22 lead.
However, first year Ella Lefelon would tie the game with her first kill, followed by two straight service aces from Willow to give the River Hawks an exciting first set win.
The early stages of the second set was similar to the first until Susquehanna ripped off a eight-point run to take a 15-8 lead. The River Hawks kept the pressure high on the Rangers, scoring seven of the next 10 points.
The high efficient scoring would see Susquehanna’s lead inflate by as much as 10 points. The River Hawks would force an attack error by Drew to give themselves a 25-15 set win and a 2-0 set lead.
However, a different Rangers team came out in the third and fourth set, as Susquehanna didn’t have the lead once in either sets. While the River Hawks kept it close at times, Drew’s offense generated kills in both sets that Susquehanna couldn’t keep up with.
A kill by Drew’s Aaliyah Anderson would tie the set score at two a piece, leaving a fifth set to decide a victor.
The fifth set saw back and forth scoring between both teams, with both teams generating kills. However after a service error from Susquehanna cut their lead to 7-5, the River Hawks ripped off another high-point run, this time with five straight points.
With the score at 12-7, Dodge would record three straight kills to help lock down the fifth set win for the River Hawks.
Dodge recorded a season-high 26 kills to go along with two blocks in her dominant performance. Ince followed up Dodge’s performance with 15 kills of her own and two service aces. Ella Lefelon also led the River Hawks with five service aces in the match.
The win helped Susquehanna punch their ticket to the Landmark Conference playoffs. The River Hawks snatched the sixth and final playoff spot, and would match up against Elizabethtown should the current seeding hold.
However with three games remaining in the regular season, the River Hawks will shift their focuses to Friday, Nov 6 when they host Messiah University at 7 p.m.