LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 4) – The Waynesburg University volleyball team traveled to Saint Vincent on Friday to compete in the two-day Bearcat Challenge. The Yellow Jackets opened their day with a 3-0 loss to Allegheny, but bounced back with a 3-0 triumph over Pitt Greensburg.
 
Thanks to the split, Waynesburg is off to its best start since 2013, when it also opened 2-1.
 
The opener saw Allegheny (1-2) come out on top of three tightly contested sets. The Gators picked up the win by the scores of 25-19, 26-24, 25-21. Freshman Makayla Osborn (Salem, Ohio / Heartland Christian School) paced the Waynesburg offense with a team-high nine kills. Another Jacket newcomer, freshman Emma Hyatt (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels) added six kills.
 
Freshmen Hayley Dufala (Cleveland, Ohio / Valley Forge) and Paige Cousley (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Chartiers Valley) contributed to the attack with 13 and 12 assists, respectively. Waynesburg also had a pair of notable defensive contributors in Hyatt and sophomore Gillian Mulcahy (Allison Park, Pa. / Hampton). Hyatt posted a team-best three blocks, while Mulcahy logged a match-high 19 digs.
 
The late contest saw Waynesburg record its best hitting percentage of the young season (.245). That offensive performance led the way to set victories of 25-19, 25-12, 25-22 over the Bobcats (0-3). Junior Kayla Stohon (Summerhill, Pa. / Forest Hills) and senior Mya Brooks (Lansing, Mich. / Holt) finished one-two in kills for the match with nine and eight, respectively. Cousley paced all match participants with 18 assists.
 
The Jacket defense was led by Mulcahy's 13 digs, another match high. Speaking of match highs, Mulcahy led all players with four service aces.
 
Waynesburg plays two more matches on Saturday before wrapping up its stay at the Bearcat Challenge. The Jackets are scheduled to face Pitt Bradford at 11 a.m. and Hiram at 3 p.m.