Box Score 9/28/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. -- Lackawanna College managed to get a stronger hold on the top spot in the Region XIX Division II standings, as the Falcons defeated rival County College of Morris, 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20), in a women's volleyball contest at the Lackawanna Student Union gymnasium in Scranton.
 
The Falcons (7-6, 4-0) got the match started with a kill from Zaliyah Small (First Year; Scranton, PA) off an errant overpass, and they managed to quickly build an early lead from there, helped by errors from Morris and a pair of service aces from Zoe Ortueta (First Year; Miami, FL). Back-to-back kills from Nadia Toth (First Year; East Benton, PA) swelled the Lackawanna lead out to 8-2, and it would hover over the next few points. A Maddilyn Durfee (First Year; Buffalo, NY) kill after some great defense from the Falcons made it 13-6 and forced a timeout. The Falcons scored three straight points out of the timeout to expand their lead to double-digits, and kept it there the rest of the set.
 
Morris (3-5, 2-3) set a blistering pace in set two, taking advantage of some sloppy, scrambling plays from Lackawanna to grab an early 9-1 advantage. The Falcons chipped away at the Titans' advantage, getting it to within three at 10-7, and then closing even tighter to within a point at 12-11. The Falcons tied the set at 13 when Small blocked a kill attempt at the net that the Titans couldn't handle. A few points later, a hitting error on Morris gave the Falcons the lead at 15-14, but Morris quickly took the lead back. The teams traded the lead and points, and Lackawanna forced a timeout with a 20-19 lead. Another Morris error gave the Falcons a two-point advantage, but a pair of mishit balls from the Falcons brought Morris even at 21. Another hitting error put the Titans in front, and the visitors managed to squeeze out the 25-23 win in set two.
 
The third set started like the second, with Morris opening up on a scoring run to a 4-0 advantage. Alasiah Carter (First Year; Coatesville, PA) got the Falcons on the board, and, later in the set, a Carter block, plus two errors from Morris, got the Falcons within a point at 7-6. The Titans kept pushing the lead out to three or four points, but the Falcons eventually tied things up on a Gabriela Gomez (First Year; Santo Domingo, DR) kill, then took the lead on a Gomez block that made it 13-12. That was in the middle of what was a 9-0 run for the Falcons, turning a 12-9 deficit into an 18-12 advantage, and forcing a Morris timeout. The Falcons kept pushing the pace, taking a 23-14 lead at one point, before the Titans closed the gap to five. It was too little, too late, however, as Lackawanna rallied to score two straight to take the third set.
 
In the fourth frame, Lackawanna jumped out early, highlighted by a block at the net and a service ace from Angelique Fuentes (First Year; Miami, FL), as Lackawanna built a 4-0 lead. Toth really stood out for the Falcons, making plays at the net and accumulating kills for the Falcons. Lackawanna had an 11-4 advantage, but a 5-0 spurt from the Titans forced a timeout and made it 11-9. A Small block at the net out of the timeout, followed by a Durfee service ace, was part of a three-point swing to give the Falcons a five-point cushion. Later, Durfee and Carter combined for a kill to make it 22-16, Falcons, forcing a Morris timeout. The Titans got it within 23-20, but a Toth kill, followed by a Fuentes kill on a bad over pass, sealed the victory for Lackawanna.
 
The win brings Lackawanna above .500 on the season, and keeps the Falcons unbeaten in Region XIX play, with a 4-0 mark with two matches remaining. Another win could guarantee the Falcons at least a tie for first-place in Division II, and certainly put them in the mix for potential home matches in the Region XIX DII tournament next month. Next up, the Falcons travel to take on Harrisburg Area CC and Frederick CC in a tri-match at Harrisburg Area CC on Saturday, September 30^th. The Falcons are set to get the day started at 10:00am against the hosts from Harrisburg.