PHILADELPHIA – Middle hitter Chelsea Hughes (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) recorded a career-high 18 kills in the Philadelphia University women's volleyball team's 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 26-24) loss to visiting Millersville in a non-conference match Tuesday night in the Gallagher Center.

Middle hitter Terra Ecker (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) also finished with a double-digit kill total for the Rams (2-4) with 10. Hughes had a .436 hitting percentage (18-1-39), while Ecker hit .412 (10-3-17).

Setter Nina Morvin (Willow Grove, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) racked up 30 assists, while libero Michelle Chai (Sinking Spring, Pa./Berks Catholic) had 11 digs.

Katie Lesinski paced Millersville (6-2) with 14 kills and four service aces. Victoria Biggins had a match-high 34 assists. Brooklyn Smith added 11 digs.

The Marauders took control of a tight opening set with a 9-2 surge to open up a 24-17 lead. Lesinski had four kills during the run, while Mary Paul added one kill and two blocks. Hughes had six kills in the set for Philadelphia and Lesinski finished with five for Millersville.

Both teams were clicking offensively in the second set as Philadelphia recorded a .414 hitting percentage (14-2-29) and Millersville had a .343 hitting percentage (17-5-35). With the help of four Hughes kills and two from outside hitter Allison Manley (Saint Charles, Ill./Saint Charles East), Philadelphia sprinted out to an 8-2 lead. Lesinski single-handedly brought Millersville back into the set with three kills and three service aces during a Marauder 8-2 run that tied the set at 10. The Marauders rattled off five straight points to take a 17-12 lead on a Paul kill. A kill by outside hitter Lauren Elliott (Austin, Texas/North Middlesex) capped a 9-3 run that put the Rams ahead 21-20. Millersville won three of the final four points to break a 22-all tie and win the set.

Philadelphia used five Millersville errors and three service aces—two from Hughes and one from Chai—to quickly get out to a 10-3 set-three lead. After the Marauders closed to within 18-14, the Rams—with the help of two more Millersville errors—regained a seven-point lead at 21-14. Millersville responded with eight of the next 10 points to cut the Philadelphia advantage to 23-22 on a Lesinski kill. A Manley kill gave the Rams two set points (24-22), but the Marauders won the final four points to take the match.

Philadelphia travels to Cairn for a non-conference match on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.