WILKES-BARRE, PA (September 26, 2023) -- The Monarchs battled from start to finish in their first home Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) contest of the 2023 season, but their efforts fell short as the King's College women's volleyball team fell, 3-1, to Lebanon Valley College on Tuesday evening. With the loss in McGrane Gymnasium, the Monarchs drop to 8-3 overall and 0-2 in the MAC Freedom, while the Flying Dutchmen improve to 9-4 with a 2-0 conference mark.
 
Lebanon Valley (9-4, 2-0 MAC Freedom) took charge early in the opening set, jumping out to a 12-4 edge. King's (8-3, 0-2 MAC Freedom) climbed within five, 15-10, behind kills from Bella Salvia, Lindsay Arezina, and Madisyn Heiser-Elsea, but the Flying Dutchmen put the set away with a 10-4 spurt to take set one, 25-14.
 
It was an electric second set in front of their energetic home crowd as the Monarchs found their stride early. King's had the 8-3 advantage to start. The visitors would stick around before eventually tying the set at 17-17, but kills from Emma King and Adrianna Conforti put the hosts ahead on a 4-1 run. Lebanon Valley battled back again to knot the score at 21 a piece, but a pair of tallies from Kathy Shepherd and an ace from Joy Kindall in the final possessions secured the set two victory, 25-22, for the Monarchs to tie the match, 1-1.
 
The third set saw the Flying Dutchmen regain their stride, opening the frame with a 13-6 run. King's battled point-for-point, eventually closing within 22-18 thanks to three consecutive kills from Salvia, but Lebanon Valley had the upper hand in the closing moments to claim set three, 25-20, and hold a 2-1 edge in the match.
 
The Monarchs carried some momentum into the fourth, leading 4-2 to start, but the Flying Dutchmen had an overwhelming response as they rattled off 11 unanswered points. King's battled down the stretch before dropping the fourth, 25-9, and the MAC Freedom match, 3-1.
 
Kindall paced the offensive effort with six kills on 14 attempts, hitting .286, with three digs and an ace, while King posted five kills and seven digs. The King's defense was led by Morgan Williams and Bella Salvia with 10 digs a piece, and Conforti contributed nine with a team-high 14 assists. Devan Moses rounded out the defensive effort with her own seven digs. Additionally, Keely Hoban dished out 10 helpers.
 
The Flying Dutchmen were led by Taylor McInerney with 30 kills on 51 attempts, hitting .392 for the match, while also adding 10 digs and two aces. Kasey Thomas totaled a team-best 16 digs, while Devyn Kelley added her own 10. Robyn Stepler handed out 45 of Lebanon Valley's 49 assists in the win while adding three blocks.
 
As a team, the Monarchs totaled 30 assists on their 33 kills. Inside the stat sheet, King's was slightly edged in the dig column, 59-53, for the match.
 
King's will head out for a quick road trip on Thursday evening, taking on the University of Valley Forge at 7:00 p.m. The Monarchs will return to McGrane Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon for a non-conference tri-match with Morrisville State and Penn State Harrisburg beginning at 12:00 p.m.