WEST CHESTER, Pa. - After sitting out competition in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thomas Jefferson University volleyball team returned to the court and opened the 2021 season with a perfect 4-0 record at the West Chester Ram Fest over the weekend.
 
FRIDAY'S FIRST MATCH - JEFFERSON 3, MILLERSVILLE 2
The Rams erased a 2-0 deficit to shock the Marauders in their first match of the tournament. Millersville won the first two sets in narrow fashion, 27-25 and 28-26. In the third frame, Jefferson trailed 13-12 but rallied for 11 of the next 14 points to go ahead 23-16 on the way to the 25-18 win.
 
The two squads were tied at 11 in the fourth before the Rams tallied five straight for a 16-11 advantage. The Marauders only came within two over the remainder of the set as Jefferson forced a fifth stanza with a 25-21 victory. Jefferson kept the momentum going in the fifth, scoring five of the opening six points. Millersville managed to climb back to within one (10-9) but the Rams finished off the match with five of the next six for a 15-10 triumph.
 
FRIDAY'S SECOND MATCH - JEFFERSON 3, MERCYHURST 1
After conceding the first point of the match, Jefferson rattled off seven in a row for the lead. The Lakers battled back to make it 9-8 but the Rams responded with a 5-1 run to make it 14-9. With the score 16-14, Jefferson pulled away with a 7-0 rally on the way to a 25-16 win. In the second, the Rams trailed 3-2 but responded with 11 of the next 14 to go in front 13-6. After Mercyhurst cut it to one (16-15), Jefferson closed the set with a 9-4 run to take the frame 25-19.
 
The Lakers avoided a sweep in the third set, dominating the stanza 25-11. The teams played tight in the fourth with neither squad having more than a two-point advantage over the first 26 points. With the Rams ahead 14-12, Mercyhurst scored four in a row to lead 16-14. With the score 17-15, Jefferson surged ahead with six of the next seven to make it 21-18. A 23-20 advantage turned into a 24-23 deficit after four consecutive points by the Lakers. However, the Rams recovered and recorded three in a row to clinch the match, 26-24.
 
SATURDAY'S FIRST MATCH - JEFFERSON 3, WEST CHESTER 0
West Chester controlled the early portion of the opening set. The Golden Rams led by as many as six (12-6). WCU was still in front, 22-20, late in the frame. However, Jefferson stunned the host school with five straight points to steal the set 25-22. The Rams carried the momentum over, tallying the first three points of the second stanza. After the Golden Rams evened the score at 11, Jefferson rallied again, this time for six in a row, to go ahead 17-11. The Rams went on to win the set 25-17.
 
In the third, the two squads were deadlocked at seven before Jefferson went on a 6-0 run for the 13-7 advantage. West Chester slowly came back until it was even at 22. The Rams answered with three of the next four points to clinch the match, 25-23.
 
SATURDAY'S SECOND MATCH - JEFFERSON 3, FRANKLIN PIERCE 0
In its final match of the weekend, Jefferson trailed 4-3 in the opening set. The Rams then claimed the lead with an 8-2 run. However, the Ravens quickly answered with five straight to even the score at 11. A 7-1 rally put Jefferson in the driver's seat again and the Rams went on to win the set, 25-20.
 
A hot start by Franklin Pierce put it ahead 12-4 in the second frame. Jefferson narrowed the gap to three (12-9) with five points in a row. It was the closest the Rams would get until they closed to within two (21-19) late in the set. With the score 23-20, Jefferson tied the score with three points. The Ravens scored to take the lead and bring up set point by the Rams rallied for four of the final five points and capture a 27-25 victory.
 
FPU started well again in the third, going in front 8-2. Jefferson came within three multiple times but the Ravens held them off and were ahead 19-13 midway through the set. The Rams then turned the tables with an 8-1 surge to take a 21-20 advantage. Franklin Pierce recovered and got to set point with a four-point run. Jefferson staved it off three times to level the score at 24. The teams traded points until it was 27-all. A pair of kills by the Rams gave them the win, 29-27.
 
WEEKEND WARRIORS
- Jess Molen: 48 kills (3.20 per set), .280 hitting percentage, 44 digs (2.93 per set), 8 service aces
- Kerrigan Candra: 44 kills (2.93 per set), .241 hitting percentage, 5 service aces, 4 blocks
- Morgan Ritchie: 40 kills (2.67 per set), .452 hitting percentage, 26 digs, 8 service aces
- Kristine Guenther: 155 assists (10.33 per set), 35 digs (2.33 per set), 4 service aces
- Liv Erwin: 33 digs (3.67 per set), 4 service aces
- Sam Mann: 28 kills (2.00 per set), .407 hitting percentage, 10 blocks (7 solo)
- Gianna Napoleon: 21 kills, .340 hitting percentage, 9 blocks
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson plays its first match at the Gallagher Center since November 16, 2019 when the Rams host Millersville for a rematch on Wednesday, September 8 at 6 p.m.