#17 Tartans Open Home DoubleTree Invitational with Two Wins

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's volleyball team opened the CMU DoubleTree Invitational on Friday, September 23 with two wins against region opponents. The Tartans started the night with a 3-0 win against Bethany College before topping Randolph-Macon College, 3-1. The #17 Tartans are now 13-2 on the season.

Against Bethany, who the Tartans topped 25-20, 26-24, and 25-13, senior Emily Newton (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Chadwick School) collected 39 assists as the team hit .270 for the match. Sophomore Sarah Jurgens (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) hit .643 with nine kills and zero errors while junior Eliza Donohue (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) hit .583 with seven kills and no errors. Senior Jackie Gibbons (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) led the offense with 12 kills.

Defensively, the Tartans were led by senior Molly Higgins' (Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach) 16 digs while Gibbons, Donohue and Newton each had two block assists.

Randolph-Macon took set one from the Tartans, 25-21, before the home team rallied for three 25-19 wins. In the first set, the Yellow Jackets hi .237 with 13 kills while the Tartans had eight attack errors.

A regroup from the Tartans served them well as they hit better and forced the Yellow Jackets into errors for the three remaining sets.

Gibbons led the offense again with 11 kills, as Donohue collected nine kills and sophomore Lauren Mueller (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown STEM Academy) put down eight kills. Newton finished with 33 assists. Higgins led the back line with 27 digs, as Mueller had 17. The Tartans blocking game also picked up in the final three sets, as Donohue recorded nine block assists for the match. Junior Heather Holton (Haslett, Mich./Haslett) also had a presence at the net, recording five block assists.

The Tartans return to action on Saturday, September 24 against the University of Mount Union and John Carroll University. Play begins at 11:00 a.m.