MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Pool Play continued this weekend, and the Mustangs traveled to Penn State-Berks to take on Lancaster Bible College and Penn College on the first day of competition. 

It took Morrisville a little while to get rolling after a 4 hour early morning bus ride and it showed as they dropped two close sets by identical scores of 21-25 in their opening match against the Chargers from Lancaster Bible.  Down, but never out, the Mustangs rattled off three straight set wins by scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 15-6 to take the match. 

Three Morrisville players recorded double digit kills as the Mustangs consistently hit over .200 during the match.  Megyan Merrill (Millport, N.Y.) led the way with 13 kills, followed by Elycia Crittenden (Louisville, Ky.) and Helena Hanes (St. Mary's, Pa.) who recorded 11 kills apiece.  Hanes also added 21 assists, while fellow setter Kimberly Dunkleman (Williamsville, N.Y.) added 25. 

Defensively in the first match, four Mustangs tallied double digit digs.  Libero, Samantha Wolf remained steady in the back row, recording 22 digs.  Merrill added 18 digs, Hanes notched 14 digs, and Courtney LaVere contributed 11 more to help round out the solid back line play.  Morrisville also received help at the net as Lindsey Sunderlage (Kingston, Ill.) and Hanes combined for 9 total blocks and 1 solo block. 

The Mustangs asserted more of their dominance in the second match of the day as they downed Penn College in three sets by scores of 25-13, 25-12, and 25-15. 

Merrill once again led the way offensively with 12 kills.  Hanes and Sunderlage each tallied 8 kills in the second match. 

Wolf picked up 16 more digs against Penn College, while Hanes, Sunderlage, and Victoria Squires (Prattsburgh, N.Y.) each added a solo block to the team's defensive effort. 

The Mustangs return to the court tomorrow morning to wrap up the second day of competition against this weekend's NEAC Pool Play hosts, Penn State-Berks at 11:00 AM. 

Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs. 

The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2016 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2016 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.

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