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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's volleyball team opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central Division action on Tuesday night with a 3-1 loss to visiting Lock Haven University at the Nelson Field House. Lock Haven won the first two sets, 25-13 and 25-22, before the Huskies took the third set by a 25-18 final. The Bald Eagles, however, won the match with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set. The setback dropped the Huskies to 4-12 overall and 0-7 in the PSAC Central while the Bald Eagles improved to 7-9 overall and 2-5 in conference play.

Redshirt senior Sarah Gomish (Ebensburg, Pa./Bishop Carroll Catholic) and freshman Grace Giza (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) paced the Huskies offensively with 11 kills apiece while freshman Mary Kate Mooney (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) chipping in with eight kills on the night. Freshman Bryn Stek (Ambler, Pa./Upper Dublin) tied a career-high with 25 assists while three others - freshman Brianne Keane (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro), sophomore Alyssa Cianciulli (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II), and freshman Emma Van Arsdale (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) - had at least five assists. Defensively, Cianciulli posted a match-high 34 digs while Gomish added 18 as she moved to within 76 digs of recording 1,000 for her collegiate career. Freshman Mia Nicholes (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) had two assisted blocks while Giza and one solo blocks and one assisted block. Freshmen Molly Prior (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and Autumn Altland (East Berlin, Pa./Delone Catholic) added solo blocks.

Bloomsburg led the first set, 9-8, before the Bald Eagles went on a 17-4 run to win by a 25-13 final. After the Huskies grabbed the one-point lead, Lock Haven scored the next nine points to take a 17-9 advantage before a kill by Mooney stopped the run. Bloomsburg got the lead down to five, 18-13, after back-to-back kills from Mooney and Giza before the Bald Eagles scored the final seven points to end the set.

The second set started well for the Huskies as Bloomsburg scored the first four points to take a 4-0 lead. Gomish had the lone kill to lead off the set while Van Arsdale added a service ace for the Bloomsburg offense at the outset. The Huskies continued to hold a 9-6 advantage before the Bald Eagles turned the tide by scoring the next seven points to take a 13-9 lead. Bloomsburg pulled to within one at 16-15 but could not get any closer as Lock Haven finished off the set, 25-22.

Heavy storms hit the area which knocked the power out for a few minutes between the second and third sets and that seemed to turn the lights on for the Huskies. Bloomsburg jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the third and never looked back as the Huskies staved off elimination with a 25-18 lead. Giza had three kills during the spurt while Nicholes added a pair. Cianciulli and Stek added single kills while Mooney had an ace to pace the offense. The visitors battled back and got as close as five at 15-10 before the Huskies scored seven of the next nine points to take a ten-point lead at 22-12. Giza had two kills while Nicholes and Gomish added one each during the run. Bloomsburg had trouble getting the final points as Lock Haven rattled off five straight points to cut the lead to 24-18 before Gomish ended it with a kill.

The Huskies jumped out to a 6-4 lead in the fourth before Lock Haven scored the next eight points to erase the deficit and take a 12-6 advantage. Bloomsburg could get no closer than four the rest of the way as the Bald Eagles closed out the match with a 25-17 victory in the fourth.

Chloe Williams led the Bald Eagles with 14 kills while Breanna McDonald and Veronica Morrison added 10 kills apiece. Kristen Nealon had 35 assists and four Bald Eagles finished with double digits in digs, led by Shaye Whiteman's 29.

Lock Haven hit .199 for the match including a match-high .269 in the first set. Meanwhile, the Huskies hit .134 on the night which included a .278 performance in their third-set victory.

Bloomsburg will be back home on Friday night, October 5, and Saturday night, October 6, when it hosts Kutztown and East Stroudsburg, respectively. Start times, both nights, are scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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