10/18/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – A slow start in the morning didn't deter Lackawanna College, as the Falcons swept past opposition from Bergen CC and Atlantic Cape CC for a pair of wins on Saturday inside the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium. The Falcons defeated Bergen CC in three sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-21), then swept the Buccaneers from Atlantic Cape (25-6, 25-12, 25-10).
 
The Falcons (10-10) fell behind in the first set to the Bulldogs (13-9) to open the day, with Bergen leaping out to a 13-8 advantage through the midway point of the first set, forcing a timeout from Lackawanna. Bergen scored two of the next three points out of the break, and the Bulldogs were staked to a 15-9 advantage and had the home side reeling.
 
Kaitlyn Reed (Aurora, CO) took a swing from the right side that found the floor after it pinballed around the Bulldog defense, which started a five-point swing that brought the Falcons within a point at 15-14. Highlights included a Reed kill and a Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY) kill up the middle.
 
Bergen managed to pull further ahead in set one at 20-16, but back-to-back kills from Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO) and Reed got the Falcons back within two. An error cut the lead to one, but Bergen held on up to 22-21. A monster ace from Syriana Smith (Houston, TX) tied the set and forced a timeout. Bergen scored out of the break to go ahead at 23-22, but the Falcons answered back on a kill from Skylar Theis (Cypress, TX). After trailing just about all of the first set, the Falcons got their first lead at 24-23 on a hitting error from the Bulldogs. They'd then take the first set when Reed aced her serve at 25-23.
 
Lackawanna had less trouble in sets two and three, leading for a majority of both. The Falcons won set two thanks to some excellent defensive hustle. Leading 24-18, the Falcons got great defensive scramble work at the back from Theis and Delianie Del Bois (New Port Richey, FL), then a great diving dig from Smith to keep the ball alive. A kill attempt didn't fall, but Bergen struggled to return the ball and gave up the point.
 
In set three, both teams stayed even through the first half, getting to 11-11 before the Falcons started to make a move. A serve error from the Bulldogs put Lackawanna up 12-11, then an ace from Del Bois made it a two-point set. Hofmann then skied on the left side for a cross-court kill that made it 14-11, then got another one on the left side to make it a four-point Lackawanna lead. Bergen never got closer than three the rest of the way, and Hofmann finished things off with a pair of kills late to win it, 25-21.
 
In the second match with Atlantic Cape (4-15), the Falcons sprinted out to a major lead early, grabbing a 15-2 lead before the Buccaneers were forced to call a timeout. Lackawanna eventually won the set at 25-6 on an Osias kill off the assist from Smith.
 
Set two saw Lackawanna get off to a 12-0 start to build the lead. Atlantic Cape played much better, getting within 19-10 at one point, but the deficit was too much, and the Falcons eventually clinched the set at 25-12 on another Osias kill up the middle.
 
Lackawanna built another double-digit lead in set three, eventually getting up to a 17-4 advantage. It was all Falcons right to the finish, with the match ending on Atlantic Cape not being able to return a serve.
 
The Falcons improve to 10-10 overall on the year and now will take on County College of Morris on Thursday, October 23^rd, in a Region XIX Division II contest. First serve is at 6:00pm ET in Randolph, NJ at Morris.