Fort Wayne, Ind. – Women's Volleyball kicked off their season at the Onset Tournament where they faced off against #22 Marian and IU East in a double match day. Game one saw glimmers of hope for the Golden Eagles but they were unable to pull off the upset falling 3-1 to the Knights. In game two however, it was a completely different story. The Golden Eagles fought through a tough first set then ran away with the 3-0 sweep over IU East. The Ladies will look to keep the momentum as they return for two more matches on Saturday, August 23^rd starting at 9:00 a.m. 
 
Game Recap – #RV Cornerstone – 1 #22 Marian – 3 (16-25, 25-18, 18-25, 24-26)
 
First Set: Cornerstone – 16 Marian – 25

• The Knights came out of the gates quickly as they tallied a 5-1 lead to start the first set. 
• Gwyneth VerBerkmoes and Aubrey Johnson got on the board early each with a kill, but the Golden Eagles still trailed 9-3. 
• Cornerstone continued to fight with Gabby VerBerkmoes finding multiple kills, but the Golden Eagles were forced into a timeout down 15-7. 
• The back-and-forth battle continued throughout set one, but the Knights managed to close it out 25-16. 

Second Set: Cornerstone – 25 Marian – 18

• The second set was filled with a flurry of attacking errors as both teams were tied at 7-7 early on. 
• A massive kill by Gabby VerBerkmoes begun a six-point run for the Golden Eagles which forced a timeout from Marian at 14-8. 
• Gwyneth VerBerkmoes tallied three straight kills down the stretch to hold the Cornerstone lead at 18-14. 
• The Golden Eagles weathered the storm well late with a push from the Knights, but the ladies took set two 25-18. 

Third Set: Cornerstone – 18 Marian – 25

• The Golden Eagles found an early kill through Aubrey Johnson to kick off the third set but found themselves down 5-2 quickly. 
• Cornerstone continued to grind as they worked their way back to an 8-9 deficit after multiple errors for the Knights. 
• The ladies then lost the grip in the set as Marian tallied a six-point run to jump out to a 15-8 lead. 
• Back and forth runs for both teams told the story of the set with Marian flipping the script from set two and taking a 25-18 set victory themselves.

Fourth Set: Cornerstone – 24 Marian – 26

• The VerBerkmoes sisters got the Golden Eagles out to a 4-1 lead early as they began to fight to keep the match alive. 
• The Knights responded right away with three quick points of their own to tie up the set. 
• Alison Pignataro and Payton Hutchinson continued the strong tandem of sets with Cornerstone leading 8-6. 
• Three more kills from Aubrey Johnson allowed for the Golden Eagles to continue inching forward in the fourth set. 
• Both teams were forced to exchange timeouts during the set as it continued to stay close at 20-20 down the stretch. 
• Multiple attacking errors from Marian pushed Cornerstone into a one-point advantage at 23-22. 
• The Golden Eagles were on set point but surrendered four straight points to drop the set and lose the match 3-1.  

Game Recap – #RV Cornerstone – 3 IU East – 0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-22)
 
First Set: Cornerstone – 27 IU East – 25

• Emmalee Murphy came to play in the first set with two quick kills to boost Cornerstone into an early 4-2 lead. 
• Some strong swings from the Red Wolves allowed the match to be tied at 6-6 with each team looking to take a grip in set one. 
• Gwyneth VerBerkmoes and Emmalee Murphy helped Cornerstone into another lead this time at 12-9.
• The Golden Eagles relied on Olivia Endris service aces to continue down the stretch of the set. 
• The momentum began to shift towards IU East which forced Cornerstone into back-to-back timeouts as they now trailed 23-21. 
• With Cornerstone facing set point they went on to score four straight points and take set one from the Red Wolves. 

Second Set: Cornerstone – 25 IU East – 16

• Kills from Gwyneth VerBerkmoes and Josilyn Potter boosted the Golden Eagles to a 4-1 early lead. 
• Another rally from IU East created another tie at 6-6 in the second set. 
• The Golden Eagles took yet another step forward through Aubrey Johnson as she was dominant in causing chaos at the net which gave Cornerstone a 12-7 advantage.
• It was all Cornerstone in the second set as the capitalized on a flurry of attacking errors and kills. 
• Lydia Uganski closed out the strong second set for Cornerstone as they took a massive step closer to securing a sweep. 

Third Set: Cornerstone – 25 IU East – 22

• The Red Wolves struggled to get started in the third set with four consecutive errors that gave Cornerstone the fast start. 
• Three more kills from Aubrey Johnson led CU to a dominant 8-2 lead in the set. 
• The attacking errors continued to pile up for IU East which helped the cause and gave Cornerstone a 17-12 advantage. 
• The Red Wolves refused to give in as they rallied back to tie the set at 21-21.
• The VerBerkmoes sisters came through clutch once again with a kill each to secure the set victory and match sweep. 

By The Numbers:
Aubrey Johnson led the team in kills with 28 on the day. 
Alison Pignataro and Payton Hutchinson played well as a tandem of setters securing 75 assists across both games. 
The Golden Eagles dominated at the net today with 16 total blocks

What's Next?
Women's Volleyball turns around quickly with another pair of games on Saturday, August 23^rd beginning at 9:00 a.m. to close out their Onset Tournament.  
 
Volleyball Contact: Chance Deane
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