STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (March 5) – The Waynesburg University women's volleyball team hit the road on Friday for a doubleheader with the Barons of Franciscan University. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the opening match, but couldn't hold off the Barons, who rallied for a 3-2 victory.
 
After a grueling Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest between the two opponents, both coaches decided to make the second contest of the evening a three-set affair that wouldn't count against either team's overall record. The Jackets did leave Ohio on a high note by winning the late match 2-0.
 
Waynesburg (1-4, 1-2) jumped on Franciscan (1-1, 1-1) in set one to the tune of a 25-20 win. The Jackets took firm control of the match by gutting out a 31-29 triumph in set two. Waynesburg held a 24-22 advantage and was serving for the match in set three, but the Barons tallied the final four points for a 26-24 match-extending victory. Once again, Waynesburg served to win the match in set four, this time as it held a 24-23 edge. Unfortunately, the host squad again came out on top of a toss-up set, taking this one 28-26. After four grueling sets that featured some truly heart-breaking endings, the Orange and Black didn't' seem to have enough left in the tank for set five, which went 15-9 to the Green and Gold.
 
Waynesburg was led offensively by senior Mya Brooks (Lansing, Mich. / Holt), who put down a team-high 15 kills. Senior Hannah Colvin (Hagerstown, Md. / Grace Academy) chipped in 10 kills to the attack and completed a double-double with 20 digs.
 
Speaking of digs, junior Alyson Johnson (Raceland, Ky. / St. Joseph Central Catholic) piled up a team-best 35 of them. Freshmen Trysten Smith (Senecaville, Ohio / Shenandoah) and Gillian Mulcahy (Allison Park, Pa. / Hampton) contributed 17 and 13 digs, respectively, to the defensive efforts.
 
Smith logged a double-double thanks to a Jacket-leading 23 assists. Speaking of doubles-doubles senior Alexis Phillips (New Kensington, Pa. / Plum) had one of her own on 15 assists and 11 digs.
 
As previously mentioned, Waynesburg took both sets in the shortened second match. The visitors scored wins of 25-11 and 25-17.
 
The Jackets are back in action on Thursday, March 11, when they host Grove City for a PAC twin-bill. Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m.