Big Rapids, Mich. - As a friendly homestand awaits the Panthers on their return home, the Adelphi University volleyball team bested Thomas More University in three sets on its final day of competition at the Ferris State Invitational Saturday in Big Rapids.

Match #1: Adelphi 3, Thomas More 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-14)
Junior middle blocker/right-side hitter Noelle Alberda nearly tied a career-high with 15 kills and hit at a .483 clip to lead the Panthers to their first win of the season.

As a team, Adelphi hit better than .400 in two of the three sets. Lilyen McCarthy contributed seven kills on a .500 hitting percentage, while three other 'Cats added four kills apiece in the match. Kambel Fiser tallied 21 assists and 11 digs for her first double-double of 2023.

The Brown and Gold jumped out to a commanding 9-2 lead in the opening set, which set the tone for the rest of the contest.

In a tightly-contested second set, Adelphi pulled away late, scoring six unanswered to separate from what was a slimmer 17-15 lead. Katie Brokes stretched Adelphi's steady tear of aces this weekend with three more in the run.

As Thomas More committed a total of 25 errors in the match, the Panthers played an errorless third set to triumph in a sweep.

Match #2: Adelphi 0, Ferris State 3 (18-25, 17-25, 15-25)
In their Michigan finale, the Panthers went toe-to-toe with the host Bulldogs, who earned votes in the AVCA Division II Preseason Top 25.

The contrast of Ferris State hitting .347, as compared to Adelphi's .119, propelled the hosts to a three-game sweep of the 'Cats.

Delaney Kiendra was the lone Panther in double figures with ten kills. Fiser tacked on another 14 assists to her weekend line, and Jamie Yonker added ten digs.

Ferris State pulled away mid-first and second set, before a 10-1 surge in the third cemented the victory for the Bulldogs.

Following the conclusion of tournament play, Yonker was selected to the Ferris State Invitational All-Tournament Team.

Head Coach Danielle MacKnight and the Panthers now fly back to Long Island to welcome in Holy Family University for their home opener on Welcome Back Night (Sept. 6) at 5 p.m. at the Center for Recreation and Sport.