SCRANTON, PA – Pratt Institute women's volleyball rallied from two sets down to defeat Cedar Crest College, 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 16-14) before falling to host Marywood University, 3-0 (25-8. 25-16, 25-18) in a non-conference tri-match hosted by Marywood on September 17.
The Cannoneers, playing its third tri-match of the season, fell to 7-1 after the split. Freshman outside hitter Marlena Todd (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) tallied a combined 18 kills in the two matches and defended 28 digs. Senior middle hitter Hannah Calderwood (Clinton, WA/South Whidbey) added 13 kills while registering 10 blocks over the two contests.
Match 1: Pratt Institute 3 Cedar Crest College 2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 16-14)
After spotting Cedar Crest a 2-0 lead, Pratt reeled off wins in the final three sets to claim its seventh consecutive victory.
Todd's first career double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs fueled the comeback as the Cannoneers put together runs of six and seven consecutive points in the decisive third set after Cedar Crest pulled ahead with leads of 8-3 and 16-14 with the match on the line. The 8-3 lead was Cedar Crest's largest over the match's final three sets.
In total, four Cannoneers had double-digit kills, including Todd and senior middle hitters Calderwood and Charlotte Burch (Lawrence, KS/Bishop Seabury Academy), who each registered a match-high 11. Freshman libero Talya Polat (Ankara, Turkey/TED Ankara College Foundation Private) defended a match-high, and a career-high, 18 digs to help spark the Pratt comeback.
Calderwood attacked at a .429 attack percentage, nailing 11 kills on 21 attacks, her second-best mark of the season. The senior also added six blocks as the Cannoneers tightened their defense over the final three sets, forcing Cedar Crest into a negative attack percentage over sets three and four to allow for the Pratt comeback.
"It was a great comeback win after being down 0-2," head coach Louis Sepulveda said. "We made a small adjustment and fought hard for every point. We never gave up!"
Match 2: Marywood University 3 Pratt Institute 0 (25-8. 25-16, 25-18)
After a hard-fought victory over Cedar Crest, the Cannoneers faced a well-rested Maywood University and fell in three sets for its first loss of the season.
After hitting .200 (49-23-130) in the opener, the Cannoneers struggled to find offensive rhythm in the nightcap, attacking at -.028 (13-15-71) percentage for the match, its worst mark of the season.
"This was a tough match-up for us after a battle in game one," Sepulveda commented. "We were missing a few players and it caught up to us here."
Todd led Pratt with seven kills and defended a match-high, and career-high, 17 digs. Junior setters Abby Nagy (Ann Arbor, MI/Pioneer) and Deniz Aysay (Istanbul, Turkey/ACI) combined for 10 assists.
Up Next: The Cannoneers return to the Activities Resource Center (ARC) for a two-game homestand. Pratt welcomes Mount Saint Mary College to Clinton Hill on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7:00 p.m.
