ITHACA, N.Y. – The Mustangs opened the scoring in three of the four sets, but ultimately the Tartans pulled out the four set victory defeating Morrisville 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
THE BASICS
- Final Score: Carnegie Mellon 3, Morrisville 1
- Location: Ben Light Gymnasium, Ithaca, N.Y.
- Records: Carnegie Mellon (23-10), Morrisville (25-7)
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Mustangs played the Tartans tight in three of the four sets including a marathon second set in which the Mustangs won 31-29.
- Megyan Merrill (Millport, N.Y.) set the tone early for Morrisville putting away the first two points of the match on her way to 18 kills.
- Down four (18-22) in the opening set, a Sam Wolf (Liverpool, N.Y.) ace followed by a solo block by Kirsten Florio (Wellsboro, Pa.) brought the Mustangs within two, but the run was too little too late as Morrisville fell 20-25 in the opening set.
- The Mustangs went back and forth with the Tartans in the second set as Morrisville's defense took center stage. Helena Hanes (Brockport, Pa.) alertly but a ball back up that was destined to be a Tartan block to keep the momentum in the Mustangs' favor as they knotted the score up at 5-5.
- Down 17-21 in the second Coach Fred Wallace took Morrisville's second and final time out of the set. A solid run by the Mustangs capped off by a Merrill ace brought the score to 23-22 in favor of Morrisville, forcing a Carnegie Mellon time out.
- Neither team would give an inch as the set pushed past the 25 point mark. While not credited with an ace, Wolf's strong serve with the score knotted at 29 forced the Tartans into a bad set, giving Morrisville the one point advantage. Florio closed out the second set victory with a driving kill into the middle of the court.
- Unfortunately, the Mustangs could not find their offensive rhythm in the third set, falling 11-25.
- Morrisville held onto a 3 point lead for the first part of the fourth set, but the Tartans would not go away, chipping away at the score to tie it up at 12-12.
- Amelia Baratier (Liverpool, N.Y.) picked up one of her 11 kills on the day to bring the score back to a 15-15 tie.
- Carnegie Mellon would pull away late in the set, taking the fourth set 20-25 and ultimately the 3-1 match victory.
- Seniors Kim Dunkleman (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Hanes would close out their Mustang careers with stellar performances. Dunkleman dished out 32 assists, while Hanes added 13 assists to go along with her seven kills.
- Wolf anchored the defense, posting 30 digs.
- The Mustangs close out their 2018 campaign with a program record 25 wins and their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance as well as back-to-back North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) titles.
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 & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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