CHESTER, Pa. (Oct. 21, 2015) – Freshman Nicole Dorman (East Norriton, Pa.) notched 12 kills and only committed one attacking error to lead the Widener University volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Alvernia in a pivotal Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth battle on Wednesday evening at the Schwartz Center. The Pride closed in on a berth into the league's postseason tournament after winning by set scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 26-24.
 
Widener improved to 13-12 overall and 3-3 in MAC Commonwealth action, while Alvernia fell to 12-13 overall and 3-3 in the league.
 
With freshman Kelsey Lee (Chesapeake, Va.) serving, Widener scored the first five points of the opening set and never looked back. Alvernia slashed the deficit down to 9-8 on a Pride ball handling error, but the hosts recovered and built their lead back up by embarking on a 9-2 run. Two straight kills by freshman Janie Kalinock (Ellicott City, Md.) made it 18-10, and a service ace from freshman Natalie Winn (San Marcos, Calif.) clinched the set for the hosts.
 
Widener led for nearly the entire second frame while being challenged throughout the stanza. Dorman smashed a kill to open things up before an ace by Barbieri made it 13-8 in favor of the hosts. Alvernia fought back and took its first lead when an Abby O'Donnell service ace made it 21-20, but Widener recovered and scored the next three points to pull away. A Dorman ace allowed the Pride to win the frame by a 25-22 score.
 
The Crusaders came out firing in the third set and built up a 7-3 lead on a kill by Laura Wachowicz. After Widener went ahead for the first time on a Dorman kill that made it 11-10, the visitors answered back and was on the verge of extending the match to a fourth set when another ball handling error was charged to the Pride to produce a 23-20 score. Widener, however, stormed back with four straight and saw Kalinock and Dorman team up for a block to set up match point. Despite giving up a kill that tied the set at 24s, the Pride ended the match by getting consecutive kills from Dorman and Winn.
 
Dorman's 12 kills against just one attacking error on 31 swings translated into a .355 hitting clip to lead the way for the Pride, who now own head-to-head tiebreakers with Alvernia, Lycoming and Arcadia for the final two playoff spots that are still up for grabs. Barbieri had 32 assists and three services aces, while junior Lauren Elliott (Aston, Pa.) and Lee registered 13 and 11 digs, respectively.
 
Alvernia, which ran a 6-2 rotation, got strong contributions from Emily Smith and its setters. Smith just missed a double-double with 11 kills and eight digs, while O'Donnell and Lauryn Snyder finished with 18 and 12 assists, respectively.  
 
Widener will visit DeSales to face Wheaton College of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and the host institution on Saturday, Oct. 24. Game times are slated for 12:00 and 2:00 p.m.