Sept. 5, 2008

Box Score

EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette women's volleyball team opened competition at the Lafayette Volleyball Tournament with a 3-0 loss to St. Peter's. Sophomore Kayly Elmer fell just three digs shy of a double-double with a match-best 14 kills and seven digs.

Ashton Rossi and Megan Carter both added double-digit assist totals with 14 and 12, respectively. Kari Horn and Carter also had a team-high 11 digs.

All three games were close battles with the first game a 25-17 St. Peter's win. The game remained close for the first half of play as sophomore Kelsey Slater tied the game at seven with a kill. The game was knotted at nine before the Peahens went ahead for good 10-9 after an attacking error by Ally Taylor. The lead stretched to eight (20-12) and the margin remained there for the final 25-17 score.

The second game was a five-point decision as St. Peter's won 25-20. Lafayette fell behind early but took a 9-8 lead after a bad set by Caroline Garvey. Elmer's service ace upped the lead to two (12-10) but the lead changed hands over the next several points. The Leopards held a 17-15 edge but the Peahens (3-0) tied it at 18 and regained the lead for good after a kill by Garvey and went on for the 25-20 win.

Lafayette (1-5) led for the much of the third game but a stubborn St. Peter's team would not go away. Both teams saw their shares of the lead early but Lafayette pulled away to lead by four (17-13) after a kill by Katrina Racibarskas. The Leopards' advantage held steady at four (19-15) but St. Peter's scored four of the next five points to pull within one. Lafayette held a 23-20 lead but the Peahens again tied the game at 24-all and scored the final two points to win the decisive third game.

In the opening match of the tournament, Fairleigh Dickinson won a 3-2 decision over Delaware State.

The Leopards conclude the tournament tomorrow with matches against Delaware State and Fairleigh Dickinson. Lafayette opens play at 10 a.m. against the Hornets.