DALLAS, PA – The Alfred University women's volleyball team dropped both matches on the road at Misericordia University on Saturday afternoon with a five-set battle against Immaculata University and a three-set loss to the hosts.
 
Match One:
Alfred University – 2 | Immaculata University – 3
AU Set Scores: 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 25-20, 8-15
 
Both teams scored 20 or more points in every set leading up to the fifth, tiebreaking set in this close, head-to-head battle. The Saxons (6-17, 0-4 Empire 8) claimed a first set win, 25-21 and forced the fifth set with a 25-20 scoring. They also put up 23 and 20 points, respectively in the second and third sets.
 
Alfred University was led by the hitting of Sarah Raeman (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) as she didn't commit a single hitting error, scoring 12 kills on 30 attempts for a hitting percentage of .400. She tacked on two aces and one block assist to make it her sixth match of the season with double-digit scoring, with 14.5 points.
 
Rachael Moravansky (Mount Airy, MD/Linganore) followed with 8.5 points from five kills, a team-high three aces and one block assists. The Saxons out-blocked Immaculata, 7-2 as Alex Taylor (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Los Osos) and Maija Grinbergs (Dedham, MA/Norfolk County Agricultural) added one block assist each and Lainey Arneson (Yorktown, VA/Tabb) led the Saxons, however, with two block assists and the match's only solo block.
 
In terms of the back line, Mikala McCartney (Buffalo, NY/St. Mary's) led the way as she broke her collegiate career high of 19 digs, set back in her sophomore year, with a new tally of 21. Taylor followed with 18 digs which is also a career-high for the junior who also set hers in her sophomore season.
 
Julia Fanning (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior) continued her streak at the setter position, leading AU with 21 set assists with Amanda Burns (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush) following with 12 assists.
 
Match Two:
Alfred University – 0 | Misericordia University – 3
AU Set Scores: 10-25, 9-25, 14-25
 
The nightcap match saw the Saxons fall in three sets. Raeman led AU again with five kills for 5.0 points. Burns had nine digs while Fanning had seven assists.
 
"It was an overall frustrating day when I believe that we could have played with a lot more character," Head Coach Dakota Pruiss said. "I do, however, think Maija [Grinbergs], Alex [Taylor] and Amanda [Burns] stepped up to battle in roles that we haven't used them for too often this season."
 
The Saxons will next return to the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena for a five-match grandstand to close out the season. On Tuesday, October 22, they will host Empire 8 rival, Houghton College for a 7 p.m. match start as it is Alfred University's Saxon-for-Saxon event where fellow Saxon Student-Athletes come to cheer them on.