MT. UNION — The Mount Union volleyball team made a late charge, trying to get back into the match against Tussey Mountain Thursday night with a strong third set.

The Titans opened a 2-0 lead in the first two sets with sound work from the service line, totaling 13 aces on the night. The Trojans took their first lead of the night in the third set but could not hold off the Titans with the Titans taking a three-set sweep back to Saxton. Set scores were 25-13, 25-16 and 26-24.

The Trojans continue to improve, becoming more confident, slipping to 1-12 overall and 1-4 in ICC East play. The Titans improved their regular season record to 13-3 overall.

“The girls brought the energy and enthusiasm to the floor tonight,” stated Titan head coach Jessica Shively. “They communicated and played as a team.”

In the first set the Titans took control of the set, opening a 10-point lead quickly. Ava Brumbaugh nailed a couple aces and with six service points to put the Titans in the lead. The Trojans had trouble from the service line with five service errors they could not stay on the line. That allowed the Titans to continue to control the set with kills from Allison Angelo and an ace by Brumbaugh to put the Titans out by 12 points.

In the second set Aubree Weaver nailed three of her team-high six aces to get the set started. Tenly Huffnagle got started and nailed a couple kills for the Trojans to keep it a two-point set early. The Titans continued to roll along again, opening a ten-point lead midway through the set off Trojan unforced errors. The Trojans could not close in and the Titans went up 2-0.

The Trojans started to swing in the third set and took the lead for the first time after Delaney Ronk tied the score with a pair of aces and the Trojans went on top by one. Ronk led the Trojans with four aces. They continued to swing, going on a five-point run off Titan errors and two kills by Huffnagle. Ronk then added a kill, and the Trojans opened a six-point lead. The Titans started to chip away at the margin and cut the lead to one point. Both teams had errors and traded points. A kill from Angelo put the Titans on top and an error by the Trojans put the Titans up. Angelo ended the night with six kills.

Huffnagle led the Trojans with eight kills and Jazzy Inch along with Sydnee Harris had three kills each, Lily Hicks had 17 assists.

“They are a scrappy team that does not let the ball hit the floor,” commented Trojans head coach Tessa McCormick. “They gave us free balls and made us make mistakes. We started to really swing in the third set and made a run at them, but they kept the ball in bounds, and we made the mistakes, and they did not.”

The Titans junior varsity won a 2-1 decision over the Trojans with scores of 24-25, 25-22 and 15-12.

The Titans are at Fannett-Metal on Monday and the Trojans host Saint Joseph Academy.