WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 27) – The Waynesburg University volleyball team played host to La Roche and Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Grove City on Saturday for a tri-match at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The Yellow Jackets fell 3-1 to Grove City to open the day, but bounced back with a gutsy 3-2 victory against the Redhawks.
 
The Wolverines (9-3, 2-2) took the opening set of the day 25-17, before Waynesburg (2-13, 0-4) tied the match with a 27-25 triumph in set two. Unfortunately, Grove City posted wins of 25-16 and 25-12 over sets three and four, respectively, to take the match.
 
Junior Kristina Zadrozny (McDonald, Pa. / West Allegheny) tied for the match lead with 11 kills to pace the offense. Freshman Mallory Boyd (West Jefferson, Ohio / West Jefferson) chipped in 10 successful attacks of her own in the opening contest.
 
Senior Riley Ruffley (Bedford, Pa. / Bedford) shined in her setter role with a match-high 30 assists and nearly completed a double-double with nine digs.
 
Senior Paige Mortimore (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Brentwood) led the Waynesburg defensive effort with 10 digs, while senior Macee Cree (Garards Fort, Pa. / Mapletown) matched Ruffley with nine.
 
Freshman Kirsten Shaffer (Hiram, Ohio / Berkshire) tied for the match lead with three blocks, while senior Emily Stutzman (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) led all participants with four aces.
 
Following a Grove City win over La Roche (3-8), the Yellow Jackets engaged in a marathon five-set contest with the Redhawks to close out the tri-match. Things didn't look good for the home team, as they fell behind 2-0 with set losses of 25-22 and 25-19.
 
However, head coach Hope Johnston rallied her squad in set three for a 25-18 triumph. The Jackets kept momentum rolling with a 25-21 victory in set four to set up a winner-take-all affair in set five.
 
The Orange and Black started out hot in the set by scoring the first three points. La Roche battled back at slipped ahead 8-7, before another 3-0 Jacket run made the tally 10-8.
 
The Hawks scored one final point, before a match-clinching 5-0 run that included a kill by Zadrozny and two by graduate student Larissa Howe (Tomball, Texas / Tomball) brought about the final score of 15-9.
 
Once again, Zadrozny led the offensive charge by racking up a match-high 14 kills. Howe added 13, while Boyd reached double digits with 10.
 
Junior Ray Baniaga (Honolulu, Hawaii / Sacred Hearts) helped out the offense with a team-high 26 assists, while Boyd completed a double-double with a squad-best 16 digs.
 
Stutzman was again stellar behind the service line and paced all players with six aces.
 
Waynesburg will be back at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse on Thursday, Oct. 2, when it plays host to Franciscan for a PAC showdown. Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m.