ASHLAND, Ohio – The D'Youville University women's volleyball team opened the season at the Ashland University Tournament, going 1-1 on the day.
 
D'Youville vs. Central Park (W, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19)
 
First Set
After gaining an early 4-2 lead, the Marauders came back firing as they went on a 5-0 run to make it 7-4. The Saints recaptured the lead thanks to a 4-0 run powered by freshman Giselle Ramirez. Ramirez got the kill to make it 11-9, off the feed from freshman Madeline O'Brien. Ramirez followed that up with two straight aces to square it up at 11-11. DYU took the 12-11 lead with the kill from O'Brien off the feed from Mitha Hatwar.
 
The Saints led by as many as four amid the first set, taking a 16-12 lead. While maintaining the four-point advantage over the net few rallies, Central State came back by going on a 6-0 run to make it 20-18. During the run, Ramirez added two more kills with Hatwar adding another. DYU was also beneficiaries from a pair of errors from the Marauders. Hatwar got the final kill of the set off the assist from senior Emma Wlostowski.
 
Second Set
After a draw through the first 16 points of the set, Central State was able to get an 11-8 advantage. The Saints stopped the quick spurt from the Marauders with a point by error and an O'Brien kill to close the gap.
 
Central State jumped out to a five-point lead, making it 15-10 before an eventually 20-13 lead. The Saints kept their composure, going on a 7-1 run for themselves to make it 22-19. During the run, the Saints got three points by Marauders' errors and a pair of aces by junior Samantha Killane.
 
DYU was able to close the gap to two points with a kill from Ramirez, but the Marauders took the set.
 
 
Third Set
Looking to take back control of momentum, the Saints did just that with four straight points to open up the set. Freshman Lauren Scully started with an ace, followed by two Central State errors, with senior Brianna Damstetter capping it off with a kill.
 
DYU continued to apply the pressure, gaining a 14-6 lead including six unanswered points. O'Brien led the charge with two kills with Killane adding another ace. The Saints took advantage of the Marauders who had three errors within the run. Central Park did respond, scoring five straight points to make it 14-11.
 
Central State was able to hang in with DYU, closing the gap to two points on several occasions. The Saints final five-point run made it 24-17 thanks to kills from Ramirez and Hatwar, along with an ace by sophomore Madison Bradshaw. Central State did get two points back but a service error gave DYU the set point.
 
Fourth Set
The Marauders show fight in the final set, opening up a 6-3 lead to start. The Saints gathered themselves, scoring four straight points to take the 7-6 lead. During the stretch, DYU got kills from O'Brien and senior Eve Musielak as well as an ace from Wlostowski.
 
Central State retook the lead to make it 10-9 and led by as many as three, making it 12-9. The Saints had one last rally behind them as the trailers, scoring five straight to retake a 14-12 lead to maintain for the rest of the match. During the five-point run, O'Brien added three more kills to her total.
 
Fighting of a Central State team that closed the gap to one several times, the Saints were able to put them away, score four unanswered to take the match. Ramirez spearheaded the final run, getting two kills with Hatwar added a kill and Killane getting the set point.
 
D'Youville vs. Parkside (L, 18-25, 14-25, 15-25)
 
First Set
With a back-and-forth battle through the early going of the match, DYU created some separation by taking an 8-5 lead. The Saints scored three unanswered to get the lead with kills from Hatwar, Wlostowski, and O'Brien. D'Youville was able to maintain the lead but Parkside kept within striking distance, gaining the lead back on a 4-0 run to make it 12-11.
 
The Saints did retake the lead two more times in the set but a five-point run for the Rangers helped them take the set.
 
Second Set
Looking for redemption after the first set, DYU came out battling as they worked their way to a 5-5 game. The Rangers quickly took the lead back and made it an 11-6 set. The Saints kept within striking distance, scoring the set's next four of the five points to make it 12-10. During the spurt, the Saints got kills from O'Brien and Emily Fischer along with a block from Damstetter and O'Brien.
 
Parkside regained the momentum, scoring seven unanswered to make it 19-10. D'Youville battled but couldn't string together a strong run.
 
Third Set
Looking to extend the match, the Saints got out to a fast start by taking a 5-2 lead. The Rangers regained the momentum by scoring six straight to make it 8-5.
 
D'Youville battled but were only able to close the gap by four points.
 
D'Youville Notes

• Scully, O'Brian, Hatwar, and Rameriz all made their collegiate debuts
• O'Brien paced the Saints' offensive attack with 28 kills on the day
• Hatwar and Scully orchestrated the offense, finishing with 26 and 25 assists, respectively
• On the defensive end, Wlostowski had 20 digs with O'Brien finishing with 18 digs

 
The Saints will be back in action tomorrow, September 2nd, for day two of the Ashland University Tournament. DYU will face New Haven at 12:30 p.m. and Ashland at 6 p.m.