SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University volleyball team earned a four-set Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division victory over Edinboro Tuesday night at Morrow Field House.
 
After splitting the opening two sets with a 25-18 win and 25-17 loss, Slippery Rock battled back from an 11-point deficit to take the third set 25-23 before closing out the victory 25-20 in the fourth set.
 
The win snaps a two-match losing streak and improves The Rock's record to 8-13 on the year overall and 4-5 inside the PSAC West. With a minimum of nine matches remaining in the season, SRU's eight victories already represent the program's highest win total since 2018.
 
Slippery Rock has now won three of its first four home matches of the 2022 season.
 
SRU was led in the victory by Abigail Koeller, who continued her string a great play with a 16-kill, 19-dig, two-block showing. Erica Selfridge also produced a double-double with 12 kills and 15 digs along with a pair of aces.
 
Freshman Callie Chevalier made her eighth start of the season, giving The Rock nine kills on a .233 attack percentage along with two aces. Abigail Nigon and Chelsie Wheeler recorded four kills each while rookie Lauren VonderHaar came off the bench to chip in three kills. Nigon also made three blocks (two solo / one assisted).
 
Jaeden Yost guided SRU's attack with 33 assists in what was her fourth match of the year with at least 30 assists.
 
Kate Lachendro came away match-highs of 22 digs and four aces. Maria Lucas rounded out The Rock's leaders in the match with one ace. SRU's nine aces Tuesday were the most for The Rock since a nine-ace performance in their three-set win at Pitt-Johnstown earlier in the season.
 
SRU jumped out to a one-set lead following its 25-18 win in the opener. With the set tied at 12-12, Slippery Rock rattled off seven straight points to take a sizable lead it would never relinquish on the way to the early victory. Chevalier had five kills in the first set while Lachendro served two of her four aces.
 
Following a 25-17 loss in the second set, Slippery Rock appeared destined to drop a second straight set when the Fighting Scots pulled out to a seemingly insurmountable 20-9 lead in the third set. However, SRU came out of a timeout and rallied back by taking eight unanswered points to get back in the set, trailing by just three points at 20-17.
 
After an Edinboro point, The Rock resumed their comeback bid with another big run in which they took six straight points, four of which came courtesy of Koeller kills, to earn a 23-21 advantage. From there the two teams traded two-point rallies as SRU closed out the comeback with a Edinboro service error and a VonderHaar kill.
 
The Rock and Fighting Scots played to a 17-17 tie in the fourth set before SRU finished off the home victory by ending the set, and the match, on an 8-3 run en route to the 25-20 triumph. Koeller and Selfridge combined for 11 kills in the final set.
 
Slippery Rock finished the match holding advantages over the Fighting Scots in aces (9-1) and digs (78-75) while Edinboro edged SRU in attack percentage (.218-.195), blocks (10-7) and kills (52-50). Natalie Pallone had 12 kills and four blocks for the Fighting Scots in the loss.
 
Edinboro drops to 15-6 overall and 5-4 following the loss.
 
Tuesday's game also served as The Rock's annual Dig for the Cure match. SRU raised money for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition through donations, raffles, a bake sale and a serving contest.
 
Slippery Rock returns to the road for another conference contest at Indiana University (Pa.) 6 p.m. Friday. The Rock downed the Crimson Hawks in five sets earlier in the season at SRU.
 
 
 

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