The Misericordia University women's volleyball team opened its home slate with a convincing 3-0 victory over Keystone, Tuesday night on Doc Mould Court.
 
Jenna Schuda led the Cougars with seven aces in the 25-8, 25-19, 25-12 sweep of the Giants. Olivia Conza had a team-high 13 assists and six digs. Rachel LoFaso recorded eight kills in Misericordia's third win of the season.
 
MU got off to a strong start in the first set, rattling off 11 consecutive points, including seven aces by Schuda. The Cougars held Keystone at a comfortable distance for the remainder of the first frame and strung together six-straight points to wrap up a dominant 25-8 set win.
 
The Giants hung tough in the second set, keeping pace with MU and grabbing a 17-15 edge. Misericordia stormed back with seven consecutive points, highlighted by three aces from Jennifer Nicometo.
 
Holding a four point lead down the stretch, the Cougars sealed the 25-19 set victory with a kill by LoFaso and a Conza ace.
 
Misericordia jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set before the Giants rallied back, cutting their deficit to one point. Back-to-back LoFaso kills and another by Norah Silfies halted the Keystone surge and gave MU an 8-4 advantage.
 
The Cougars were efficient with their attacks in the third frame, using a stellar .400 hitting percentage to build a comfortable lead. Up by a score of 20-11, MU stormed further ahead with four unanswered points to push the contest to match point.
 
A service error gave Misericordia the final point, completing the sweep with a 25-12 set victory.
 
The Cougars hit the road to battle Messiah in a tri-match with Stockton, Saturday. The first match tips off at noon.