CARLISLE, PA. – The Ursinus College women's volleyball team split on Saturday afternoon during a tri-match with Dickinson College and Catholic University. The Bears fell to Dickinson College in straight-set sweep (25-21, 25-23, 25-23), but bounced back in the finale with a straight set sweep of the Cardinals (29-27, 25-22, 25-22).
 
Dickinson 3, Ursinus 0

Senior Katie Cressman led the way for the Bears finishing with eight kills and 10 digs, while sophomore Rachel Bernard earned a team-high 13 assists and four aces. First-year Noelle Smits paced the Bears on the defensive side collecting three blocks, while junior Gabby McGinn earned a team-high 11 digs.
 
In the first set, Ursinus jumped out to a 5-0 advantage, after Bernard earned two aces and Sherman collected her first kill of the match. The Red Devils battled back, tying the match at eight a piece after an 8-3 run. The Bears scored three consecutive points to regain a 11-8 lead, after Cressman earned her first kill and first-year Erin Dychdala picked up an ace. After an 8-3 run from the Red Devils, Ursinus later tied the set at 16 behind a kill from junior Haley Spotts and Bernard's second ace. Dickinson closed out the first set with a 9-5 run claiming a 1-0 match lead.
 
The Red Devils carried the momentum into the second set claiming the first four points. The Bears continued to show their resilience scoring four of the next five points to cut their deficit to one. After a Dickinson point, the Bears scored six of the next seven points to regain a 10-7 lead. Cressman earned two kills and Smits added her second kill of the match. Ursinus stretched their lead to four after an ace from Bernard made the score 15-11 midway through the set. Dickinson rallied off a 6-2 run to cut their deficit to one after back-to-back kills from Emma Lange. The Bears bounced back with a 5-3 run and controlled a 23-20 lead late in the second set. The Bear's run was led by kills from Spotts and Cressman combining for three kills. The Red Devils answered five consecutive points to close out the set, 25-23.
 
Dickinson once again grabbed the momentum in the beginning of the third set jumping out to a 5-1 lead. The Bears slowly started to battle back trading points with the Red Devils, until a Cressman kill and a block from Smits cut the deficit to three. After a kill from Dickinson's Emma Lange, Ursinus struck for six consecutive points to regain a 12-10 lead. First-year Reena Robinson earned her first kill of the set as Smits and Sherman each added a kill during the run. Each team traded points, until a kill from Sherman tied the match at 15. Dickinson scored back-to-back points regaining a 17-15 lead, but the Bears scored five of the next six points to regain a 20-18 lead. The 5-1 run was led by a kill from Robinson and an ace from Dychdala. Dickinson rallied off four consecutive points to regain a 22-20 lead after a Bears attack error. Cressman and Sherman each added kills but the Red Devils closed out the set 25-23 for the sweep.
 
A back-and-forth contest saw the lead change hands ten times. Dickinson's Lange finished with a game-high 12 kills and two blocks, while Camille Dofiles earned a game-high 20 assists.
 
Ursinus 3, Catholic 0

The Bears bounced back in their second match of the afternoon sweeping Catholic University in straight sets (29-27, 25-22, 25).  Cressman (15) and Sherman (11) led the Bears on the offensive end with double-digit kill performances, while Bernard (18) and Dychdala (13) each finished with double-digit assists.
 
Urisnus jumped out to a 11-5 lead early in the first set behind Cressman and Sherman combing for four kills. Each team traded points until the Cardinals cut their deficit to one after back-to-back Bears errors made the score 20-19. The Bears took a timeout and immediately responded when a pass from Bernard led to a kill by Spotts. Cressman started to heat up for Ursinus, tallying the next three points and giving the Bears a 24-22 lead. Catholic earned the next two points, after kills from Olivia Blondin and Halie Murphy tied the match at 24. The Bears closed out the first set with back-to-back kills from Sherman, after she capitalized on assists by Dychdala and Bernard.
 
In the second set, Catholic jumped out to a 7-4 lead, before a Cressman kill and an ace from Dychdala tied the match at seven. The Cardinals scored three consecutive points, but the Bears answered with a 3-0 run to tie the match at 10. Catholic used a 6-1 run to stretch their lead to five midways through the second set. The Bears responded with a 9-4 run to tie the match at 20-20, after back-to-back aces from Dychdala. Cressman and Smits combined for a block to give the Bears the lead and they closed out the set with a kill from Dychdala and an ace from Smits.
 
In the third and final set each team traded points, until a kill from Smits gave the Bears a 11-10 lead. Bernard dished out consecutive assists on kills from Spotts and Sherman, while a block from Dychdala and Spotts gave Ursinus a 16-14 lead. The Cardinals later tied up the match at 19 a piece after back-to-back aces from Olivia Blandon. The Bears closed out the match on a 3-1 run led by kills from Sherman and Cressman.
 
Halie Murphy led the Cardinals with 15 kills while Sydney Sheppard earned a game-high 28 assists. The Bears hit .225 as a team, including an impressive hitting percentage of .362 in the first set. Ursinus held Catholic to a hitting percentage of .165 while forcing 19 total errors over the three sets.  
 
The Bears will return to action on Tuesday evening with a Centennial Conference matchup against Swarthmore from Helfferich Hall at 7pm.