The Middlebury volleyball team took down #25 Gettysburg 3-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon. With the victory, the Panthers advance to the regional final on Saturday against #1 Juniata at 5:00 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Deadlocked at 17-17 in the tight opening set, a kill down the line by Devin McCormack kickstarted a 5-0 run that was capped by a cross-court kill by Molly Harrison for a 22-17 edge.
• After the sides traded points, a kill through the block by Lillian Caldwell gave the Panthers a 25-20 triumph.
• With the second stanza tied at five apiece, the Bullets ripped off a 6-2 spurt on a block by Erin Gonzalez and Mary Huegel for an 11-7 advantage,forcing a Middlebury timeout.
• Following the break, the Panthers clawed back into the frame and eventually took a 16-14 edge on a kill from Caldwell.
• Gettysburg posted four of the next six points before a block from Ava Tuccio moved Middlebury ahead by one (19-18).
• Clinging to a 24-23 lead after trading points, a blast down the line by Caldwell gave the Panthers the clinching point and a two-set advantage.
• Gettysburg raced out to a 6-3 advantage in the third led by two service aces, a kill apiece from Catherine Holtz, Huegel and Alycen Radolovic and a Panther attack error.
• The lead for the Bullets would stretch to five (11-6) before a Harrison kill sparked six out of the next seven points for Middlebury,  knotting the set at 12 points apiece.
• Level at 21-21 later in the stanza, Gettysburg posted the last four points capped by a kill from Alycen Radolovic for the 25-21 triumph.
• Middlebury jumped out to a 9-4 advantage in the fourth set, sparked by a service by Caroline Byrne.
• The Bullets sliced the deficit to three (13-10) on a kill by Radolovic, but the Panthers responded with an 8-0 run fueled by a trio of kills by Harrison for a 22-10 edge.
• Middlebury would close the match out in style with kills from Caldwell, Harrison and Pribisich to move onto the Round of 16.

NOTES

• Harrison continued her hot streak, tallying her 21st double-double of the season with 23 kills and 15 digs. 
• Gabbie O'Toole handed out 48 assists, giving her 1,037 this season which sits fourth in program history. She also posted 40 or more assists in a match for the 12th time this fall and the 25th in her career. 
• Middlebury has battled Gettysburg just one time before Friday's match with the Bullets earning a hard-fought five-set win during the 2023 regular season.
• The victory vaults the Panthers into the regional finals for the first time since the 2011 campaign.

Middlebury plays in a regional final match on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. against top-ranked Juniata.

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