Grantham, Pa. - The Pride came up short against No. 6 Messiah, falling in three sets in conference play.
The Pride drop to 6-13 on the season and 0-2 in conference
BY THE NUMBERS
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Widener opened the set strong going up 2-0, Messiah then responded bringing the score to 4–2. From there, the Pride continued to trade points with Messiah through the middle portion of the set, getting kills from Wannamaker, Marquis, and Akinwale while Sandberg ran the offense. Widener remained within striking distance as the set progressed, with Quinby Dahl adding a kill and Akinwale contributing at the net to keep the score close at 17–18. The Pride stayed competitive late in the set with additional points from Marquis and a block by Marquis and Akinwale, but Messiah closed the final stretch to take the set 25–21.
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Messiah opened the second set with early momentum, leading 4–1, as Widener worked to stay close through kills from Anioma Njokanma. Wannamaker and Sandberg helped the Pride chip away at the deficit, keeping Widener within reach, tying it at 9–9. Messiah responded by bringing the score to 13-9. Widener continued to battle through errors and blocks, staying within a short distance, 20-14. Despite late points from Akinwale and Wannamaker, Messiah maintained control, and the set closed at 25–19 in favor of the Falcons.
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Widener battled from the start of the third set, with Wannamaker, Marquis, and Akinwale keeping the Pride within reach through kills and strong serving. The Pride went up 7-5, but Messiah soon regained control going on a run. With the score at 17-9, Marquis got a kill bringing the score to 17-10. Despite this effort, Messiah's depth and pressure from multiple attackers proved too much, and Widener could not close the gap, falling 25–15 to the No. 6 team in the country.
UP NEXT
The Pride return home on Wednesday, March 11, as they take on Arcadia University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
