Box Score 10/5/23

SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. -- The slumping Falcons earned a gutsy five-set win to get themselves back to even, as Lackawanna College defeated Lehigh Carbon CC 3-2 (20-25, 25-12, 22-25, 26-24, 15-10) on Thursday evening on the road in Schnecksville in a Region XIX cross-division contest.
 
The Falcons (8-8) came in having dropped five of their last seven matches, and were in danger of losing another, trailing 2-1 heading into the fourth set. Lackawanna battled, but Lehigh Carbon (3-7) managed to just hold them out until the set reached the latter stages. Trailing 19-17, the Falcons got a point from a Nadia Toth (First Year; East Benton, PA) kill on a bad overpass. The set was tied at 19 when a Cougar attempt hit the antenna, and the Falcons took the lead on a Toth ace, forcing a timeout. Later, the Cougars pushed the Falcons to the brink at 24-23, but an Angelique Fuentes (First Year; Miami, FL) kill broke the serve and tied the set. A hitting error put the Falcons at set point, and an Alasiah Carter (First Year; Coatesville, PA) serve found the floor in between the Cougars' defense, stunning the home side and sending the match to the fifth and decisive set.
 
Kills from Fuentes and Toth got the Falcons up 2-1 to start the final frame. Back-to-back kills from Toth made it 4-1, Falcons, before the Cougars broke serve. Toth stepped up again, though, this time earning a solo block to give the Falcons serve right back and a 5-2 lead. After the sides swapped, Lackawanna was clinging to an 8-6 lead when a hitting error gave Lackawanna serve. With Gabriela Gomez (First Year; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) serving, the Falcons surged ahead, scoring the next five points to push Lehigh Carbon to the edge at 14-6. Lehigh Carbon eventually broke serve, and scored four straight points of its own, but Lackawanna finished the job, when a Fuentes kill deflected off two Cougars and went into the stands, setting off a wild celebration on the Falcons' side of the court and giving Lackawanna the improbable victory.
 
Lackawanna College is next in action for a Region XIX cross-division match-up on Tuesday, October 10^th, when the Montgomery County CC Mustangs come to town. The match is set for a 6:00pm ET start inside the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.