CANTON, Ohio – Jasmine Chambers picked up her first win as Roosevelt's head coach Friday as the Lakers split their first two matches of the season at the Hall of Fame City Classic in Canton, Ohio.
The victory came in a dominant sweep of Roberts Wesleyan, which was the first time in 13 years Roosevelt won its first match of the season. The Lakers (1-1) hit over .400 for the first time in nearly a decade and held the Redhawks to a negative hitting percentage, the first time in three years Roosevelt has accomplished that feat.
The momentum did not carry over into the second game of the day, however, as Edinboro fended off Roosevelt in straight sets.
ROOSEVELT 3, ROBERTS WESLEYAN 0
Roosevelt was highly efficient in its attack to start the season, hitting .429 in the opener for the second-best single-match hitting percentage in program history. It marked the first time the Lakers exceeded .400 in nearly a decade dating back to October 2016. The Lakers also held the Redhawks to a negative hitting percentage, marking the first time in the program's Division II history.
It all started a bit shaky for the Lakers as Roberts Wesleyan dashed out to an 8-2 lead against the new-look Roosevelt squad. Chambers elected not to take a timeout, and her faith was repaid with Imani Lee adding a kill and an ace in a quick 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 9-7. A Redhawks service error and consecutive attack errors from Roberts Wesleyan then helped Roosevelt tie the set and take a slim 13-12 lead.
Lee had four of her seven kills in the first set to help the Lakers wrestle control of the set in the middle of the game. A 6-1 run keyed by a pair of Lee kills helped give Roosevelt some breathing room and the Lakers then cruised to a 25-20 win in the opening set.
The second set began with the teams trading points before a brief 3-0 run gave the Lakers a slight lead. Roosevelt ripped off a 12-1 run to blow open the set at 23-9 with three kills and a block from senior Kaylee Bayer during that stretch. The Lakers went on to a 25-10 win in the second set.
The Lakers claimed the third set 25-11, but this time it didn't give Roberts Wesleyan any hope by jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Alessia Isgro served up two aces on that first rotation and she finished with four total in the match. Colby Watson was a perfect 4 for 4 with her attacks in the third set and finished with five kills on 10 attempts.
McKenzie Bernard was even more efficient with seven kills and no errors on 10 kills for a .700 hitting percentage. Bernard was also part of four of Roosevelt's six blocks in the match.
EDINBORO 3, ROOSEVELT 0
Isgro had 10 kills to lead the Lakers in the afternoon match, but Roosevelt could not overcome the Fighting Scots. Edinboro scored the first six points of the match, leading to the first timeout of either match taken by the Lakers. Roosevelt never was closer than six the rest of the way as Edinboro closed out the 25-15 win.
Roosevelt and Edinboro were nearly inseparable in the second set with 14 ties and nine lead changes in the pivotal game. However, seven kills from Isgro on a .357 hitting percentage and another ace from the Italian graduate student was not enough. The Fighting Scots broke an 18-18 deadlock with six straight points en route to a 25-21 win.
The Lakers were part of plenty of long rallies in the third set, but the ball did not fall kindly off the net cord on several occasions as Edinboro finished off the sweep with a 25-13 win.
UP NEXT: The Lakers close out their stay at the Hall of Fame City Classic on Saturday morning with a 10:15 a.m. match against Charleston.
