Box Score 9/7/23

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Lackawanna College fought hard and won stunning second set, but the Hawks from Harrisburg Area CC clamped down in the third and fourth frames, running away for a 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18) victory on Thursday night in NJCAA Region XIX action at the Lackawanna College Student Union.
 
The Falcons (0-3) played the visiting Hawks even through most of the first set, scoring their first five points on errors from the visitors to take a 5-4 lead, early. The Falcons made it 6-5 on a kill from Angelique Fuentes (Freshman; Miami, FL), who followed that up with a service ace to make it 7-5. The Hawks fought back to tie things up, and took an 11-9 advantage, but Lackawanna fought back, thanks to a block at the net from Zaliyah Small (First Year; Scranton, PA), plus a service ace, and a few errors from Harrisburg. But, the Hawks finally found their footing, going on 7-0 run to reverse a 15-13 deficit into a 20-15 lead in set one. The Falcons couldn't overcome their errors, and the Hawks took set one.
 
In set two, Lackawanna hit the front early, taking advantage of some sloppy play up front from Harrisburg to take firm control of the set. It wasn't all errors, as Gabriela Gomez (First Year; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) scored a kill on a nice assist from Maddilyn Durfee (First Year; Buffalo, NY) during the run-out for Lackawanna. Fuentes also added a looping kill that forced a timeout from Harrisburg when the Falcons took a 10-3 lead. The lead ballooned out to 15-5 before the Hawks closed the gap, forcing errors from the Falcons and winning eight of the next nine points to close the gap at 16-13. Lackawanna kept its nose in front as Harrisburg charged, closing to within two points at 20-18, and then the Hawks made a final push that tied the set at 22-all. A hitting error from Harrisburg, followed by a Durfee ace that clipped the net, gave Lackawanna a two-point lead. Harrisburg managed to get one back, but a hitting error into the net gave the Falcons the 25-23 win in set two.
 
A hitting error from Harrisburg Area actually gave the Falcons the early lead in set three, but the Hawks swiftly recovered, forcing a Lackawanna error to tie things up, then going on a tear for the rest of the set. The offense really started clicking for the visitors, and errors from Lackawanna couldn't keep the Falcons close in a 25-13 loss in the third.
 
The fourth and final set looked like it was going to be more of the same. The Hawks jumped out to an early advantage and Lackawanna, battling tired legs, didn't look to quite have the usual bounce in its step. The Hawks led 8-0, then Lackawanna battled back to make it 12-8, but the lead inflated back to double-digits and it looked like Harrisburg had things sealed up. However, down 24-13 and staring match-point in the face, the Falcons scored went on a run that started with a service error, followed by a block that led to a hitting error, a kill from Gomez, another hitting error, and a service ace from Alasiah Carter (First Year; Coatesville, PA) that made it 24-18 and maybe planted that seed of doubt. But, Harrisburg recovered with a well-struck attack on the left side of the net to ricochet the ball off the Falcons' block out of bounds, ending the set and the contest.
 
Lackawanna College is next in action on Saturday, September 9^th, when the Falcons travel to take on Harcum College in an afternoon contest in Bryn Mawr, PA. The match is set to start at 1:00pm ET.