PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Explorers returned to .500 in conference play with a 3-1 win over Davidson on Friday night. The home side mainly handled business against a team that it had defeated four straight times heading into Friday, however this win was perhaps the biggest of that stretch with both teams fighting for postseason contention. Advantage La Salle. Senior Catherine Edgington led all players in kills (17) for the second straight game, while junior Samantha Graver finished with 13 kills and 24 digs—her 13th double-double of the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers set the tempo early with a 7-1 run to open the game. Davidson would close to within one, making it a 11-10 game, but La Salle responded well by scoring seven of the next nine. After a timeout, the Wildcats scored the next two of three, however La Salle claimed the following three points, stretching its lead to 22-14. The visitors scored a few more but the Explorers took the first comfortably.
• The second frame was much more contested in the early going and, after a back-and-forth, La Salle eventually stretched in front 8-5. Davidson clawed within one at 13-12, but a similar storyline to the first set was unfolding. The Explorers embarked on a 6-1 run to open things up, the Wildcats struck for a few points to make things interesting, but a strong La Salle finish of four straight points, including a pair of kills from freshman Marisa Guisti, handed the Blue & Gold a convincing 2-0 advantage.
• Davidson showed significantly more fight in the third set and it showed as the narrative of the game changed. Early separation was hard to find for La Salle: a 3-0 run was answered by Davidson 3-1, and again. The Explorers chipped away until, up 18-14, you could feel a set-winning run was coming. But it didn't come from the home side. Davidson took the next six points and the lead, La Salle equalized, and a battle ensued where the Wildcats would go in front and the Explorers would reel them back in. This occurred until Davidson was up 25-24 with set point, the Blue & Gold scored twice to get the advantage, the Wildcats took the next two, La Salle equalized, Davidson went up set point, La Salle equalized, until the visitors took the final two and the set, 30-28.
• It was either answer emphatically or allow Davidson back in the game, and La Salle chose the former in the fourth frame by claiming 13 of the first 17 points. The Wildcats would never get closer than eight (down 17-9 at that point). An 8-3 run to finish the set gave La Salle the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Edgington and Guisti continued their blistering form on Friday, combining for 33 kills on .431 hitting. 
• Caeer-highs: Edgington's line of 17 kills on .483 hitting marked arguably her best offensive game of her season, and gave her a new career-best in kills. Guisti's 16 kills also re-set her career high.
• As a whole, La Salle had one of its better offensive nights of the year as the team registered 64 kills on .317 hitting. That checks in as the Explorers' second-highest team hitting percentage in 2019 (trailing a 3-1 win over Delaware where they hit .376).
• Graver paced the team in digs and finished third in kills, picking up yet another double-double to underline the all-around impactful season she is having. In fact, her line against Davidson broke her career-high of 12 double-doubles set her freshman season.
• For the third game in a row, La Salle out-scored, out-killed, out-aced, out-assisted and out-dug its opposition. Over that three-game stretch where it has gone 2-1, the Blue & Gold has recorded 38 more kills, 42 more assists and 37 more digs.
• Wood watch: With 53 assists against the Wildcats, senior Kathryn Wood continued her march on the all-time record. Her career tally now stands at 4,127—182 assists from tying the top mark.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers are back at Gola on Sunday for a showdown with VCU, who is 7-0 in conference play. The Rams have not dropped a set against A-10 opposition since La Salle took them to five on September 27th. First serve is at 1 p.m.