LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University volleyball team closed out the opening weekend of the 2021 season with victories over Roberts Wesleyan College and Lock Haven University Saturday at the Lock Haven Invitational.
Slippery Rock opened the day with a near flawless 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-13) victory over Roberts Wesleyan followed by a gutty five-set (25-22, 22-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-12) win against Lock Haven. SRU exits the opening weekend of the year with a 2-2 overall record.
The Rock was led on the day by the freshmen duo of
Erica Selfridge and
Chelsie Wheeler. Over two matches, Selfridge totaled 25 kills and 30 digs while Wheeler compiled 19 kills on a .233 attack percentage and a Rock-best eight blocks.
Kate Lachendro and
Alayna Chizmar also combined for 11 aces Saturday as Lachendro served six followed closely by Chizmar with five.
MATCH 1: SRU 3 – LHU 0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-13)
Slippery Rock was nearly able to pull off the rare feat of leading wire-to-wire in its win over Roberts Wesleyan. The RedHawks led only briefly for one point in the first set and a mere two points at the start of the third set as SRU controlled the action for the entirety of the match on the way to a convincing win.
For the match, Slippery Rock held advantages over Roberts Wesleyan in attack percentage (.296-.010), kills (32-24), aces (10-5) and blocks (15-1). The Rock's 15 blocks were the most by an SRU team since a 16-block match against Millersville in 2011.
Wheeler provided The Rock with six kills and seven blocks while Selfridge had a team-high seven kills and three blocks of her own. In the middle,
Tiara Teague registered six kills and four blocks.
Chizmar had one of the best matches of her collegiate career with four kills, four aces and seven digs. Lachendro also had four aces while making a team-high 11 digs.
Stephanie O'Donnell added five kills while
Logan Whitaker rounded out the team victory with fivekills and a Rock-best 24 assists.
The Rock led by as many as 10 at 23-13 in the opening set before a late Roberts Wesleyan surge cut SRU's advantage down to five points before a RWC service error and a Selfridge kill closed out the game 25-19.
SRU took the first five points of the second set and would eventually end it on a 10-0 run en route to a 25-11 victory. While Roberts Wesleyan was able to capture the first two points of the third set, Slippery Rock quickly grabbed the lead and once again closed strong with a 7-1 match-clinching run at the conclusion of the set to seal a 25-13 win.
MATCH 2: SRU 3 – LHU 2 (25-22,22-25,20-25,25-17,15-12)
Selfridge starred for The Rock in SRU's five-set victory over host Lock Haven as the first-year outside hitter rattled off 18 kills (.239) in addition to making 25 digs and serving two aces. Wheeler also reached the double-digit kill threshold at 13.
Chizmar contributed to the attack with seven kills and Whitaker posted career-bests in assists (38) and digs (24) to go with five kills and two blocks. Lachendro aided The Rock's defensive efforts with 31 digs for SRU's first 30-dig match of 2021.
The Rock and Lock Haven traded points for the majority of opening set with LHU eking out a narrow 19-18 lead heading into the later stages before SRU took over via a 5-0 run, leading to a 25-23 win. However, Lock Haven battled back from the opening-set loss to take the following two games 25-22 and 25-20.
With its collective backs firmly against the wall, Slippery Rock responded with a great fourth set that featured SRU taking the first eight points. The early lead proved to be more than enough for Slippery Rock in an eventual 25-17 win that forced a fifth and deciding set.
Neither The Rock or Bald Eagles led by more than two points for the majority of the fifth set, but with the score tied at 12-12 SRU made a final push and tallied three consecutive points to clinch the win.
For the match, Slippery Rock held advantages over Lock Haven in attack percentage (.134-.104) and kills (53-51). The Bald Eagles held a 9-6 edge in aces while both teams had five blocks.
Slippery Rock continues non-conference competition with four matches at the Hall of Fame City Challenge in Canton, Ohio Sept. 10-11 against Malone, Seton Hill, Fairmont State and Saginaw Valley State.
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