BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Ursinus Volleyball team opened their 2023 season at the Moravian Greyhound Premiere Tournament on Saturday morning. The Bears dropped a tough 3-1 (15-25, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25) match to Montclair State before bouncing back against Misericordia with a 3-1 win of their own (25-18, 25-18, 18-25, 25-22).
 
 
 
The Bears kept their match going against the Red Hawks with a strong showing in the third set where they hit .294 as a team but were unable to force a fifth set in a tight loss during the fourth set. Junior Caroline Sherman paced the Bears by matching her career-high with 16 kills while hitting .375 and added four digs. Sophomore Mel Eglinton impressed in her Ursinus debut with 13 kills and 10 digs while hitting .200 for the match. Senior Haley Spotts added five kills and three blocks while junior Rachel Bernard paced the offense with 32 assists plus four aces to showcase her strong serving.
 
 
Against the Cougars, the Bears put forth an all-around showing by hitting .286 as a team and fended off a possible Misericordia rally behind a sizzling .440 hitting percentage in the fourth set. The duo of Eglinton and Sherman powered the Bears again with 30 combined kills between the two. Eglinton had 17 of them and a .317 hitting percentage to help earn her All-Tournament team honors. Sherman added 13 kills against Misericordia along with five aces. Junior Emma Illovsky led the Bears with 13 digs against the Cougars while Bernard posted 23 assists. Sophomore Erin Dychdala tallied 15 assists and three aces in the win as well.
 
 
The Bears return to action on Wednesday, September 6th as they will host Neumann for their home opener at Helfferich Hall with a 7:00 p.m. start.