HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Mary Baldwin University women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on the first day of the Route 42 Classic, hosted by Eastern Mennonite University.

In the first match of the evening, the Fighting Squirrels dropped a hard-fought 3-0 contest to Lynchburg (25-23, 25-10, 25-22) and fell to Catholic 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-18) to close the first night of action.

Against Lynchburg, Rachel Christian led the way with 17 kills and hit at a .302 clip and also collected 10 digs to complete a kill/dig double-double. She also added three blocks and totaled 18.5 points in her collegiate debut. Michaela Beverly registered six kills as well. Emma Tomlinson posted 29 assists and also recorded a pair of service aces. Madison Cash led the way with 15 digs, while also adding a kill and an ace.

In the second match of the night, Christian again led the team in kills as she posted 12 on a .242 hitting percentage for a total of 29 on the night. She added 19 digs and a pair of blocks, as well. Deborah Black followed with seven kills, while Madison Varner recorded five kills. Tomlinson registered 17 assists, while Cash recorded 22 digs in the loss.

The Fighting Squirrels wrap up the Route 42 Classic tomorrow, Aug. 31, as they take on Bryn Mawr (10 am) and Wilson (2 pm).

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