By: Matt Lofton

ALLIANCE, Ohio – If today was any sign of things to come, the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex may be a hard place to win for visiting teams as the Mount Union volleyball team opened the season with a pair of straight set wins over St. Mary's (Ind.) and Mt. St. Joseph at the Mount Union Invitational.

The Purple Raiders kept their cool thanks behind a boisterous crowd to win all six sets on the day in beating St. Mary's (Ind.) 25-18, 25-22, 26-24 (0-2) and Mt. St. Joseph's (0-2) 25-13, 25-20, 25-21 on the first day of the Mount Volleyball Invitational.

Taylor Webb (Geneva/Geneva) led Mount Union with 24 kills in both matches, while Julie Radigan (Olmsted Falls/Olmsted Falls) tallied 57 assists in six sets played. Nicole Snyder (Mentor/Lake Catholic) came off the bench for 16 total kills, including 11 against St. Mary's. Libero Kristen Gromes (Navarre/Fairless) contributed 25 digs.

In the first match of the day against St. Mary's, the Purple Raiders outhit the Belles .255-.156, including an amazing .455-(-).115 in the first set. Mount Union captured the opening frame 25-18.

However, St. Mary's would not go quietly and held a 22-21 lead late in the second. But a Snyder kill tied the match and a pair of kills by Rachel Adolph and Maya Brown put the Purple Raiders up 24-22. On set point, a rattled Belles team committed a setting error and Mount Union took the 2-0 lead in the match.

The set of the day may have come in the third frame. A Kati Schneider service ace put the Belles on set point at 24-22, but three-straight kills by Webb gave Mount Union its own set point at 25-24. A Deanna Glass (Medina/Medina) kill from Radigan gave Mount Union the win in its first match of the year.

Mount Union hit .344 as a team and held Mt. St. Joseph's to a .152 mark in a straight set victory in the night cap.

Fresh off an exhilarating third set win in the first match of the day, Mount Union blasted the Lions in the first set by 12 points. However, the Purple Raiders had to mount a huge rally to take the second set. After the visitors jumped out to a 15-10 lead, an 8-0 run on the serve of Radigan put Mount Union in the lead for good. Glass drew the Purple Raiders within four with a kill, than teamed up with Snyder for an assisted block. A Radigan and Glass kill, combined with a Lions error, tied the match at 15 and forced a Lions' timeout. A pair of Webb kills and another Lion error put Mount Union up 18-15. Mount Union won seven of the last 12 points to take the set.

Both teams fought to a 20-20 deadlock in the match's finale before two Mt. St. Joseph's errors and kills by Webb and Brown put the Raiders on match point. The Lions got one point back, but Webb came out victorious in a net scramble as her kill ended the day.

Mount Union concludes its opening weekend tomorrow when it hosts 15th-ranked Hope (Mich.) at noon and Allegheny (Pa.) at 4 p.m.

  Mount Union def. St. Mary's (Ind.) 25-18,25-22,26-24

  St. Mary's (Ind.) (0-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Kati Schneider 9-1-0;
  Allison Zandarski 6-0-1; Stephanie Bodien 4-1-2; Danie Brink 3-0-1;
  Christi Wyble 1-0-0; Emily Getz 1-0-0; 15 1-0-0; Meredith Mersits
  0-3-0; Annie Bodien 0-1-0; Meghann Rose 0-2-0; Totals 25-8-2.0.
  (Assists) - Danie Brink 15. (Dig leaders) - Stephanie Bodien 13; Kati
  Schneider 10

  Mount Union (1-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Nicole Snyder 11-0-3; Taylor
  Webb 8-0-0; Maya Brown 6-0-1; Julie Radigan 5-1-1; Deanna Glass 4-1-3;
  Rachel Adoplh 4-0-1; Lauren Mastroine 1-0-0; Totals 39-2-5.0.
  (Assists) - Julie Radigan 27. (Dig leaders) - Kristen Gromes 16;
  Christine Frazier 9; Julie Radigan 8

  Site: Mount Union (MAAC)
  Date: Sep. 2, 2011   Attend: 432   Time:         
  Referees: Jim Saginch, Gary Hajek

  Mount Union def. Mt. St. Joseph 25-13,25-20,25-21

  Mt. St. Joseph (0-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Ritter, Bethani 9-0-1;
  Vanarsdall, Hannah 6-0-1; Sherpensky, Nicole 5-0-2; Roedig, Kat 5-0-2;
  Scheid, Sarah 2-0-0; Hirschbuehler, Dana 2-0-1; Whitmore, Torrie
  1-0-1; Stenger, Jaclyn 0-2-0; Woods, Michelle 0-1-0; Davis, Janelle
  0-1-0; Totals 30-4-4.0. (Assists) - Whitmore, Torrie 14. (Dig leaders)
  - Stenger, Jaclyn 14; Ritter, Bethani 6

  Mount Union (2-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Taylor Webb 16-0-1; Maya Brown
  7-0-2; Nicole Snyder 5-0-2; Rachel Adoplh 4-0-1; Julie Radigan 4-0-0;
  Deanna Glass 3-0-3; Christine Frazier 0-2-0; Totals 39-2-5.0.
  (Assists) - Julie Radigan 30. (Dig leaders) - Kristen Gromes 9;
  Christine Frazier 7

  Site: Alliance, Ohio (MAAC)
  Date: 09-02-2011     Attend:     Time: 1:07    
  Referees: Jim Sageinch, Gary Hajek