WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 8, 2021) -- Senior Danielle Kitchner recording a game-high 12 kills with no errors, adding two blocks, to lead the King's College women's volleyball team to a 3-0 win over the Wilson College Phoenix on Friday night in McGrane Gymnasium. With the win, the Monarchs continue their perfect streak at home, improving to 14-2 overall, 9-0 in McGrane, while the Phoenix drop to 1-10 overall.

The match up saw eight ties in the first set before totaling nine ties in the second set for a thrilling start to the game. King's trailed 8-7 in the opening set before going on a 6-1 run behind three kills from senior Olivia Bunch to lead, 14-8. Wilson would chip away at the Monarchs lead and eventually hold a 22-21 advantage thanks to four unanswered points from the Phoenix. The Monarchs responded to score the last four points of the set capped off with a kill from Kitchner, winning set one, 25-22.

King's led the second set, 5-4, before Wilson opened the scoring with a 8-3 rally to lead 12-8. The Monarchs answered with a run of their own, scoring the next seven straight points to lead, 15-12, thanks to four Phoenix errors. Wilson would pull ahead, 23-19, but just as in the first set, the Monarchs had a solution and rallied to record the final six points of the set behind two more kills from Bunch to win set two, 25-23.

The Monarchs used this momentum to dominate the final set of the match. After leading 9-6, King's allowed just one Phoenix point down the stretch to cruise to a 25-7 win in the third set and win the match, 3-0.

Kitchner connected for 12 kills on 20 attempts, hitting .600, while Bunch added nine kills and seven digs. Junior Kayla Sondberg rounded out the Monarchs offense with five kills and two blocks. Setter Wiatt Hoffmann dished out 28 of the team's 32 assists, adding eight digs, while senior Sarah Hayward recorded two blocks at the net. For the defense, senior Karissa Hartzell recorded 11 digs with three aces, while first year Carly Shire continued her solid play in the back row, totaling 10 digs and two aces.

Wilson was led by Tioleaoauli Posiulai with 11 kills, Myla Owens posted 27 assists, and Anika Eigen-Zucchi led with a match-high 14 digs.

As a team, King's hit .217 for the match, recording 35 kills on 106 attempts while holding Wilson to a .092 hitting percentage. King's won the battle on the stat sheet, posting higher marks in kills (35-33), aces (7-4), and digs (51-47).

King's hosts one more contest in McGrane Gymnasium before heading out for a three-game road stretch. The Monarchs host cross-town rival Wilkes University in MAC Freedom play on Tuesday, October 12 with game time set for 7:00 p.m.