SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Down 2-0 in the match, Davis & Elkins rallied with an extended third set victory before taking each of the next two sets for a comeback win on the road against Notre Dame (Ohio) on Saturday night in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play at Murphy Gymnasium.
 
Kaitlyn LaCour tied a match-high 21 kills for D&E and added 15 digs, while Raleighanne Weaver hit an efficient .333 with 11 kills on 27 attacks. LaCour recorded another double-double with 15 digs for Davis & Elkins (12-7, 6-3 MEC), which battled back from a slow start and returned to its efficient output at the net with 12 total blocks.
 
Notre Dame (Ohio) (18-8, 5-4 MEC) could not stop a hot Senator attack in the latter portions of the match despite three players with double figure kills. Mary Kate McHugh (21), Sarah DeGeorge (12) and Blaire Barr (10) led the way offensively for NDC, who was outscored 40-26 over the final two sets.
 
Kelly Smith was one of five players with 10 or more digs, leading the way with 18. She added three aces for the Senators, accounting for half the team's ace count at the service line. Cynthia Arango chipped in 18 digs to go along with 16 digs and 48 assists for Sarah Warren.  
 
Jessa Henry and Brianna Portley had five kills each for the Senators. D&E took control offensively over the final two sets, hitting .265 and .269 in sets three and four, respectively. The win snaps a brief two-match skid and puts the Senators in fourth place in the MEC standings.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Davis & Elkins (12-7, 6-3 MEC) – 3
• Notre Dame (Ohio) (18-8, 5-4 MEC) – 2
• Set Scores: 17-25, 19-25, 27-25, 25-16, 15-10
• Murphy Gymnasium – South Euclid, Ohio

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Set One: A kill from LaCour had the Senators up 6-3 before Notre Dame countered for a9-8 edge. A Senator attack error pushed the Falcons lead to 18-12 and the hosts notched five of the last six points for the set win.
• Set Two: A 4-0 run, which included kills by Weaver and Daniels, forced a Falcons timeout at 19-16. Warren dropped in a service ace to slice the deficit to just two at 21-19, but once again NDC closed the frame with a scoring surge for the victory.
• Set Three: Neither side could create much separation in the third set. Smith launched an ace for a 10-8 lead and LaCour later added a kill for the 20-1 lead. Henry extended the set with a kill to tie the score at 24 before LaCour smacked another kill for the 27-25 extended set win.
• Set Four: Davis & Elkins trailed in the early portions of the frame but took control in the middle part of the set, ultimately grabbing an 18-12 lead following a LaCour kill. Consecutive NDC attack errors pushed the Senators edge to 22-16 and Smith finished up the set with an ace.
• Set Five: A quick start in the fifth set pushed D&E to a 9-3 lead with kills from LaCour and Weaver. A quick run from NDC made it 11-7, but the Senators capped the match with a kill from Brianna Portley to complete the comeback.

 
MATCH NOTES

• LaCour picked up her fourth consecutive double-double and picked up her third match of the year with 20+ kills.
• Weaver had her second best hitting percentage of the year, hitting .333 on the night. She previously hit .455 against Salem (W. Va.) on September 24.
• Davis & Elkins had 85 digs in the win, its second most this season. The Senators had 103 digs against Cal U on September 13.
• Arango had her third match with 10 or more digs this season.
• Warren had a season-high 48 assists in the victory, marking her fifth match of the year with 40 or more assists.
• Daniels got back on track offensively, tying a season-high 13 kills. She has launched 10 or more kills in four of the past six matches.

 
UP NEXT

• Davis & Elkins finishes up its road swing on Tuesday, October 29 at Salem (W. Va.) with first serve set for 7:00 PM.

 

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