By Marah McHugh, Contributing Writer
The Gettysburg College women’s volleyball team swept Catholic 3-0 Sept. 30 at Bream Gymnasium, holding the Cardinals to a .065 hitting percentage and improving to 10-4 before Centennial Conference play.
The Bullets beat the Catholic University of America 25-19, 25-20 and 25-9 in front of 55 fans, according to the box score.
The win was Gettysburg’s second straight, following a 3-1 victory over Mary Washington on Sept. 26.
Catholic fell to 4-9.
“I think tonight we blocked really well,” said Nala Shearer, a junior libero. “We put a lot of balls down on the block, and I think also we serve received very well tonight.”
Gettysburg made three serve-receive errors to Catholic’s nine and finished with eight team blocks, according to the box score.
Gianna Galli, a senior middle hitter, led the Bullets with six blocks, and Clare Farrell, a junior outside hitter, had five.
Catholic committed 23 attack errors, while Gettysburg committed 11.
Gettysburg hit .239 and recorded nine service aces to Catholic’s three.
Catholic led 17-15 in the first set before Gettysburg scored eight straight points, seven of them with Erin Gonzalez, a senior outside hitter, serving.
Gonzalez served three aces during the run, and Catholic committed four attack errors in that stretch, according to the play-by-play.
Gettysburg won the set 25-19 when Ava Grall, a junior outside hitter, recorded the final kill.
Catholic led 11-8 in the second set, and the teams were tied at 18 before Gettysburg scored four straight points.
Galli and Farrell combined on two blocks during that run.
The Bullets won the set 25-20 when Catholic committed an attack error on the final point.
Kierra Fox, a junior defensive specialist, served two aces in the first three points of the third set.
Gettysburg led 14-4 after scoring four straight points with Ellen Manke, a junior middle hitter, serving.
Farrell later recorded four straight kills, and the Bullets hit .464 in the set, according to the box score.
Elle Lang, a junior opposite hitter, recorded the final kill as Gettysburg won the set 25-9.
Gonzalez led Gettysburg with 11 kills, 10 digs and three aces.
Farrell added 10 kills, and Emma Bradshaw, a sophomore outside hitter, had six.
Halle Feth, a senior setter, had 20 assists, and Kaitlyn Hedrich, a freshman setter, had 13.
Fox finished with 11 digs and three aces.
Julia Raab led Catholic with nine kills, and Alejandra Garcia recorded a match-high 25 digs.
Shearer led the Bullets with 15 digs.
She said her favorite play is digging a hard-driven ball that the other team expects to land.
“Then you just scoop it up, and it’s really high intensity,” Shearer said. “It’s really high energy.”
