WORCESTER, Mass. –– Lydia Peton (So., Christiansburg, Va.) registered a career high for kills to spark the Navy volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep of Holy Cross, Saturday afternoon at Blaney Gym in Worcester, Mass.  The Mids (8-10, 4-5 Patriot League) defeated the Crusaders (2-18, 1-8), 25-16, 25-22, 25-19.

"Lydia found a ton of ways to score, especially in tough situations," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  

After the teams traded the first four points of set one, Navy went on an 8-1 run to break out to a 10-3 advantage.  The Mids were able to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the frame thanks to their hitting .269 and forcing the Crusaders into a .000 percentage.

Navy never trailed in the second set, but also could never fully separate itself from Holy Cross.  A 7-6 Navy lead turned into an 11-7 cushion that was soon extended to 17-11.  The Mids were seemingly in control as they took a seven-point lead at 21-14.  That advantage dwindled down to three points at 23-20 and 24-21, then it was a two-point difference between the teams at 24-22.  Cami Herman (Sr., Brookfield, Wis.) ended the set with a kill.

Peton entered today's match having recorded eight kills in nine sets this season.  She knocked down seven kills through the second set today and posted the first three kills for the Mids in set three.  Despite her efforts early in the frame, Holy Cross overcame a three-point deficit to take an 11-9 lead.  The Crusaders soon held a 13-12 lead when a short run by the Mids flipped the score to 15-13 in favor of Navy.  After a kill by Holy Cross sliced the margin in half, a 5-0 spurt pushed the visitors out to a 20-14 advantage.  The teams pretty much exchanged points over the remainder of the set.  

Navy as a team posted 38 kills and a .242 attack percentage to better the 29 kills and .059 hitting percentage recorded by Holy Cross.  The Mids also had leads of 5-2 in aces, 44-35 in digs and 7-5 in blocks.

"Holy Cross served a great match and really limited out quick tempos," said Labrador.

Peton ended the match with 11 kills and a .474 attack percentage to lead the Mids in both categories.  She also tallied three blocks to share the team lead with middle hitters Maggie Bodman (So., Northbrook, Ill.) and Anna Klemeyer (So., Sarasota, Fla.).  

Additionally, Jordan Llewellyn (So., Port Deposit, Md.) recorded seven kills, Avery Stowell (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) finished with five kills and three aces, Kimberly Lynch (Sr., Murrietta, Calif.) snared 12 digs and both Averi Miller (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) and Celie Feighery (Jr., Oak Hill, Va.) dished out 17 assists.

"Our setters did a great job of finding the match-ups on the pins to score," said Labrador.  "Jordan took some really aggressive swings and got a clutch solo block late in the match when we needed a step-up play.  Avery put consistent service pressure on Holy Cross that led to some runs of points."

Navy will be back in the Wesley A. Brown Field House Friday when it plays host to Loyola.