The Waynesburg University women’s volleyball team traveled to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania to take part in a tri-match against two Presidents’ Athletic Conference rivals: Geneva College and Westminster College. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, the Golden Tornadoes and the Titans proved to be too much to handle, as the team dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions.

Waynesburg (1-17, 0-11) took on Geneva (8-15, 6-3) in the first match of the day, falling in straight sets 25-15, 25-14 and 25-19. In that match, the Yellow Jackets were paced on offense by freshman outside hitter Hannah Colvin and junior right side hitter Lexy Waldman, who both tallied five kills. Sophomore setter Olivia Zuchelli led the way with nine assists, while sophomore libero Alyssa Proper paced the team defensively with 16 digs.

According to head coach Stephanie Benkowski, the team took a different approach in an attempt to shake things up.

“In all three sets we played we tried a different lineup,” she said. “In the third set I think we had the best chance of performing and I liked that lineup the most…Just trying new things trying to get that win.”

The biggest reason for the consistent change in lineup, Benkowski said, was to try and keep the energy high.

“That’s what I was hoping for, I don’t know if it occurred on Saturday, but I think that’s what my thought process was—to get a little more energy off the bench,” said Benkowski. “I think just getting different people out there makes it a little harder to mesh on the court, but I definitely think it helped bring a little bit of energy to it.”

The team did not get much time to rest between the first and second match, as they immediately followed the Geneva match by facing off against Westminster (15-4, 7-2). The Yellow Jackets stayed with the Titans for much of the first set before Westminster pulled away 25-20. The Titans rounded out the sweep with 25-17 and 25-12 victories in the second and third sets respectively.

Leading the Jacket attack in the second match was junior outside hitter Jordyn Wyllie, who notched eight kills. Zuchelli and freshman setter Rachel Lemay managed 10 assists each during the match, while Proper against led the way in digs with 16.

“We played well, Westminster is a good team. We played better than we did against Geneva,” Benkowski said. “We played as a team a little bit more than we have been, so that was good. We went with that third set that we went with against Geneva against Westminster. I think we have a couple more tweaks we need to make.”

Another player that has been a key contributor all season has been junior defensive specialist Cassidy Guiser, who has been thrust into a variety of roles for the Yellow Jackets this year. Across the two matches, Guiser paced the team with three aces and finished second on the team in digs (23) and blocks (2).

“Cassidy is a hard worker and she’s very competitive. She wants to win,” Benkowski said. “She was an outside in high school and she’s small for us as an outside, but she works hard. Every day at practice she’s working to get around the block because she’s little. She’s consistent for us on the court, which is what we need to be successful, and that’s what she’s doing for us.”

Waynesburg is back in action Oct. 12, for a PAC matchup against the Bearcats of Saint Vincent. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.