The Waynesburg University women’s volleyball team competed in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference tri-match in Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon.

This was the Yellow Jackets’ first conference action of the season.

The Jackets competed against Geneva College and host team Chatham University.

In the first match, the Jackets fell to Geneva, in straight sets. 

Waynesburg kept it close in  the first two sets, losing the first set 27-25 and and the second set 25-21. Geneva dominated the last set, and the Yellow Jackets fell 25-10. Head coach Hayley Kirby is unsure what happened to the competitiveness.

“We gave up in set three,” she said. “I am not sure if we were tired but we did not come to play,” 

Outside hitter Hannah Colvin and right-side Mya Brooks led the team with five kills each.

Colvin and defensive specialist Alyson Johnson led the team with 11 and nine digs, respectively.

Against Chatham, the Jackets again fell in three sets.. 

The Cougars won the first set 25-21 and 25-13 in the second set, but in a reversal of the first match, Waynesburg kept it close in the third set, but fell short, 25-23. 

Kirby said the team had trouble with mistakes in the middle set. 

“We had a lot of hitting errors in the second game,” Kirby said.  “We couldn’t keep the ball in the court.”

Colvin and freshman outside hitter Hope Bidelman led the Jackets with ten and five kills for the team. Defensive specialist Mallory Stopko lead the team with 11 digs. 

Now 0-2 in PAC play, Kirby wants to build for future conference games.

“We will use these games to build on our energy and effort,” Kirby said.  “When we play with maximum effort each play, that’s when we will win games.”

Kirby compared the team’s energy from both PAC games with Wednesday’s win over LaRoche.

“The LaRoche game we had the energy and it showed,” she said.  “This weekend showed what happens when we don’t have that energy.”

Waynesburg now falls to 1-8 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

The Jackets will continue their journey at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17 when they take on Pitt-Greensburg on the road.