Gwynedd Valley, Pa. - (9/6/2023) - Things looked down in the third set of this evening's home opener versus Penn State Abington (1-3) as the Nittany Lions controlled a confident 18-11 edge on the for Gwynedd Mercy University (1-2). But the spirited words and actions of senior outside hitter
Bria Purnell (Reading, Pa.) and senior middle hitter
Ashley Brown (Lansdale, Pa.) rallied the Griffins for 10 straight points on the serve of sophomore setter
Ayanna Gaston (Middletown, Del.), 21-18, and scored the Griffins an eventual 25-22 win. The comeback earned Gwynedd Mercy University a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-22) victory over Penn State Abington and rewarded Head Coach
Lauren Yancer '21 with the first win of a young career.
Griffin Highlights
- Gwynedd Mercy University carried Penn State Abington through the first two sets, holding a 18-12 first-set lead before a 25-18 final and holding a 17-10 second-set lead before fending off the Nittany Lions in a 25-20 conclusion.
- Purnell and Brown killed two apiece during Gaston's nine-point service, which began with her kill and included a pair of her aces.
- The Griffins hit best in the second set with a .172 (11K-6E-29TA) success rate.
- Gwynedd Mercy University totaled eight aces; Gaston and junior libero Maddie Stancil (Lincoln University, Pa.) finished with three aces apiece, while Brown provided the other two.
- Brown led the Griffins in points, scoring 17 with 13 kills on an efficient .571 (13K-1E-21TA) hitting percentage, her aces, a solo block, and two block assists.
- Freshman outside hitter Kate Etter (Chambersburg, Pa.) recorded her first double-digit kills performance with 10 kills on a .333 (10K-3E-21TA) hitting percentage. She also recorded an assist and four digs.
- Purnell finished with seven kills, an assist, and eight digs.
- Gaston added two kills, 14 assists, and eight digs to her aces, while Stancil provided two assists and 11 digs in addition to hers.
Gwynedd Mercy University returns to the Griffin Complex tomorrow, Thursday, September 7, to host Bryn Mawr College for a 7:00 p.m. match.
