SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit on Tuesday night and staved off a pair of match points to escape with an exhilarating victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinal, defeating rival Millersville by set scores of 25-18, 22-25, 18-25, 25-18 and 19-17 from Heiges Field House.
 
Shippensburg (25-6) claimed the first set and built a 19-16 lead in the second set before Millersville (16-12) unleashed a 9-3 rally to flip the momentum, scoring the final five points of the frame to even the match at 1-1.
 
The Marauders roared out to a 14-5 lead to open the third set, eventually grabbing a 2-1 match lead as the Raiders were not able to get within five points in middle frame. SU overcame a 4-0 hole in the fourth set with runs of 8-2 and 8-4 to gain a lead and force the fifth and deciding set.
 
The final frame was simply bonkers. It featured seven ties and four lead changes, resulting in high drama for the raucous partisan crowd. Millersville started the fifth set with gusto, grabbing leads of 5-1, 9-5 and 13-10 before the Raiders countered with a 4-0 run to create the first match point.
 
Millersville not only defended the match point, but set up its one of its own after an SU attack error. The Raiders fought off that match point, and then a second, before creating their second match point at 17-16. The Marauders equaled once again, but a pair of MU attack errors proved to be the decisive final margin in the Shippensburg victory.      
 
Both teams were strong defensively, resulting in a large amount of empty hits. The visitors totaled 121 digs, including 33 from libero Kat Forry and a career-high 32 from outside hitter Lindsey Blevins, while SU finished with 116 digs – including 31 from junior libero Megan Forstburg and 27 from junior Gabriella Johnson, which put her over the 1,000-dig mark for her career.
 
Sophomore setter Emily Hangen totaled 17 digs and directed the offense to a .179 hitting efficiency despite the team totaling 234 attempts on the night. Hangen recorded a career-high 60 assists, the most by a Raider in a match since Andi Heimsoth had 62 against East Stroudsburg on Oct. 30, 2009. The 60 assists equal the most by a PSAC player in a match this season.
 
Junior Samantha Webber, the reigning PSAC Central Division Athlete of the Week, slammed a season-high 21 kills, finishing one short of her career high. Webber hit .386 on 44 attempts, and paced the team with four block assists.
 
Senior Morgan DeFloria had 18 kills, 17 digs and hit .213, producing her 18th double-double of the season. Johnson also added 10 kills, resulting in her 12th double-double of the year.
 
Sophomore Alana Pergine and junior Kendall Johnson combined for 17 kills in the middle – Pergine crunched nine kills and .174, while Johnson had eight kills and hit .143. Both women had a hand in two blocks.
 
Redshirt-senior Courtney Malott was an unsung hero, delivering key plays during times of need. Malott had 14 digs, an ace, and a pivotal kill in the fifth set that began SU's 4-0 rally to create a match point. She is now 21 digs shy of 11th all-time in the SU record books.
 
Tuesday's victory puts the Shippensburg into the PSAC Semifinals for the first time since winning its first and only conference championship in 2015. It is the ninth time in 15 seasons under head coach Leanne Piscotty that the Raiders have reached the PSAC Semifinals (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
 
Shippensburg's next opponent is Seton Hill. SU achieved a 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) way back on Sept. 21, but since Sept. 28, the Griffins have posted a 14-2 record – losing only to Clarion and Gannon.
 
UP NEXT: Friday, 5 p.m. vs. Seton Hill (at Gannon) (PSAC Semifinals).