WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons swept past the Avila University Eagles 3-0 in a KCAC matchup tonight (Oct. 31) inside the Garvey Center.

The Falcons had to pull out a first set thriller to set the stage for the sweep.  Trailing 24-23, a kill by Sofia Mekelburg, an attack error and then a kill from Samantha Johnson gave Friends the hard-fought 26-24 win.

The second set was close again early, but Quinn Curran assisted on two kills by Sydney Lentz to fuel a run of four straight points that broke an 11-11 tie and gave the Falcons some breathing room.

Now leading 21-20, the Falcons once more closed the set strong as three kills from Lentz fueled another 4-0 run and finished the set 25-20 for a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

The Falcons then had an easier time in the third set, jumping out to a 15-4 lead on the way to a 25-17 win to seal the victory.

Lentz powered the Falcons with 14 kills and Curran set the table all night with 30 assists while producing six kills from the setter spot. Antonia Perier had 30 digs and Jenae Dearing added 11 digs for Friends (14-14, 3-8 KCAC).

Megan Davies (12 kills) and Maddie Jones (11 kills) led the Eagle offense and Daphne Gardner posted a team-high 17 assists. Sophia Giorgio had a team-leading 19 digs for Avila (9-19, 3-7 KCAC).

The Falcons hit .231 as a team, led by Lentz (.480), Johnson (.444) and Curran (.417).

Next up for the Falcons is a matchup at Bethany College Saturday afternoon (Nov. 2) at 2 pm in Lindsborg, Kan.