MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Adrian College women's volleyball team opened the Gator Invitational today with a doubleheader against Houghton University and Allegheny College. The Bulldogs won the first match of the day against Houghton 3-1, but dropped the match 3-2 to Allegheny.
Match 1
In the first set, Adrian fell behind early, 5-2, but responded with four straight points to give the Bulldogs the lead. From that point on, Adrian controlled the set. An attack error on Houghton gave the Bulldogs a ten-point lead at 23-13. Houghton clawed back into it, but a kill by Khloe Budzynski sealed the 25-20 set win.
The Bulldogs found themselves in a back-and-forth second set that never saw either team lead by more than five points. Lauren Boehmer's five kills propelled Adrian to a set two victory.
Looking for their second sweep of the season, Adrian fell behind early. Houghton came out swinging before a service ace gave the Highlanders a 17-point lead. A five-point run by Adrian gave the Bulldogs a chance but ultimately dropped the set 25-23.
Still up 2-1 in the match, Adrian went on a 7-3 run that gave them a 20-15 lead on Houghton. The Highlanders didn't go down quietly, finding themselves at 24-23. Back-to-back Bulldog kills prevented Houghton from evening up the match. The set, and match, were far from over as the teams exchanged points. Tied at 26 apiece, a service ace by Lauren Boehmer gave the Bulldogs a one-point lead. The next point sealed the victory via a Budzynski kill.
This marked the longest winning streak for the Bulldogs since 2023.
Match 2
Adrian faced Allegheny while looking for their fourth straight win.
Despite falling behind in set one, errors by the Gators allowed the Bulldogs to keep it close. Two service aces by Kendal Sullivan gave Adrian a 21-18 lead. Two more attack errors by Allegheny sealed their fate, as Adrian won the first set 25-21.
Once again, Adrian had to battle back in the second set. Two Bulldog kills and two attack errors brought Adrian within one point. Budzynski finished the Bulldog comeback with another kill, giving Adrian a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three was all Allegheny. An Adrian attack error gave the Gators a 14-4 lead. Despite Adrian's best efforts, Allegheny controlled the game and earned the 25-16 win.
Adrian jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth set. A couple of Bulldog attack errors gave the Gators the lead just a few points later. Adrian never regained the lead, and the Gators evened up the match at 2-2.
In the fifth and final set, Adrian went on an early four-point run on four straight kills. At six different points in the set, there was a tie. Allegheny pulled away late, winning the set 15-12, and the match 3-2.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow morning when they face Fredonia at 11 AM.
