GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Delaware Valley women's volleyball team battled through the first two sets but couldn't find a consistent offensive rhythm, falling to Arcadia, 3-0, in MAC Freedom play on Tuesday evening.
 
The opening set was tightly contested, with both teams trading short runs and neither gaining more than a four-point advantage early on. An Aggie attack error helped fuel an 8-3 Arcadia surge that extended the Knights' lead to 20-12. DelVal fought back with a kill from Monique Smith and a service ace from Alyssa Fink during a 5-2 run that cut the deficit to five, 22-17, but Arcadia closed out the set with three straight points to secure a 25-17 win.
 
Arcadia carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead. Kills from Cassandra Gloster and Smith sparked a 4-0 response that cut the deficit in half, but the Knights answered with an 11-3 run to stretch their advantage to 19-7. The Aggies showed resilience, using a 12-5 rally to narrow the gap to 24-19 before Arcadia clinched the set on the next point, 25-19.
 
In the third set, a Smith kill briefly gave DelVal a single-point edge, but Arcadia quickly regained control and used a decisive 9-5 stretch to build a lead it would not relinquish. The Knights limited the Aggies to just five more points down the stretch, closing out the match with a 25-10 victory.
 
Smith paced the Aggie offense with six kills, while Fink contributed a team-high three service aces and led the defense with 12 digs. Nia Walker and Shanna Graham each recorded two blocks, and Mia Zadlo dished out a team-best nine assists.
 
DelVal returns home on Thursday, October 16, to host Alvernia at 7 p.m.