BALTIMORE, Md. - Volleyball wrapped up the Charm City Classic on Saturday, dropping matches to Towson (3-1) and Penn (3-0).

Leopards' libero Emily Gouldrup's stellar defensive play continued in both matches. With her 34 total digs against Towson and Penn, Gouldrup paces the Patriot League with 168 digs. The senior also leads the conference in average digs per set, with 4.42. Classmate Abby Nicholson currently sits in ninth for hitting percentage, with .273. Sophomore Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo, seeing her first collegiate action after an injury in her rookie campaign, ranks first in kills (130), fourth in kills per set (3.51) and 10th in hitting percentage (.272).

Saturday started with a contest against Towson, the co-host of the tournament. The Maroon and White fell to the Tigers 3-1, but sneaked away with a first-set victory. Towson, which entered the match 7-2  on the year, had the score knotted up after the first 20 points (10-10). The two teams traded leads back-and-forth until it was 13 apiece. Starting with a kill from Mbeche-Odhiambo, the Leopards rattled off four points in the next five. Senior Carol Ulichney capped off the run with a kill of her own, granting a 17-14 advantage. A three-point run for the hosts followed before Lafayette answered with three-consecutive points of its own. Shortly after, the Leopards held a 24-21 lead, looking for the set point. Towson responded with four-straight points, swinging the lead in its favor (25-24). Lafayette remained steadfast, tying the score at 25 all courtesy of an Mbeche-Odhiambo kill. An Ally Feczko service ace and Mackenzie Calhoun kill later, the Maroon and White took the set.

The Tigers took the second set 25-20 to tie the match score at 1-1. Towson captured the third set, but not before Lafayette battled to a 29-27 final. The Leopards fought in set four, but dropped a 25-20 final score as Towson took the set to improve to 8-2 this season, gaining their eighth consecutive victory.

The second match of the afternoon pitted the Leopards against Penn. Lafayette dropped the first set 25-16 prior to the second and third sets. The Quakers and the Leopards sat tied 10-10 after the first 20 points. The next seven points went in favor of the opponent, allowing Penn to jump out to a 17-10 lead. The Maroon and White answered with a four-point spurt, cutting into the deficit (17-14). Down the stretch, both teams traded points before Penn captured the victory. The third and final set repeated the second, with the Quakers winning the set 25-20.

Lafayette returns home to host rival Lehigh in the first match of conference play on Saturday at 5 p.m.


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