WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 2, 2019) -- In a hard-fought Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) match between King's College and the reigning champion Eastern University, the Monarchs fell, 3-1, to fall to 12-3 for the season and 1-2 in MAC Freedom play.

The Monarchs jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in set one led by three kills by sophomore Becca Goldberg. The Eagles responded, battling back for several points before eventually tying the match, 16-16, before going on a 4-2 run and taking a 20-18 lead. After a Monarch timeout, King's went on a set-winning run, 10-6 to take set one, 28-26.

Set two saw Eastern jump to an early 7-3 lead that the Monarchs could not overcome as they fell, 25-15. Then in set three, King's battled yet again as they took the early 8-3 lead off of three kills by sophomore Grace Frati. Eastern responded, eventually tying the set, 11-11, on a kill by Caroline Shelby, one of her match-high 19 kills. Both teams battled before the Monarchs dropped the set, 25-22. The final set was controlled the entire way by the Eagles as they cruised to a 25-7 win to capture the match, 3-1, over the Monarchs.

Sophomore Wiatt Hoffmann held a balanced attack for the Monarchs, totaling 39 assists, 17 digs, a block and a kill. Goldberg led the Monarchs with 14 kills on 38 attempts, hitting .211 for the match, and Frati also totaled double-digit kills for the Monarchs, tallying 11 on 26 attempts, hitting .308. For the defense, sophomore Taylor Mueller totaled 15 digs, and sophomore Karissa Hartzell also played well along the back line adding nine digs. Sophomore Olivia Bunch led at the net with a career-high five blocks for the match.

As a team, the Monarchs totaled 45 kills, hitting .095 for the match. They also totaled six blocks, 45 assist and 58 digs in the loss.

The Monarchs are back in action this weekend as they travel to Utica College to face the host Pioneers and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Saturday, October 5 at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm, respectively. They continue their road stretch before returning home on Wednesday, October 16 as they host local rival and MAC Freedom foe Wilkes University at 7:00 pm in McGrane Gymnasium.