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GREENSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's volleyball team played in the program's first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest on Friday night but suffered a straight-set loss at Seton Hill University in the league opener for both teams. The Griffins won the first two sets by identical 25-19 scores and then completed the sweep with a 25-22 win the third set to drop the Huskies to 4-6 overall. Seton Hill, meanwhile, improved to 6-3 on the season.

Freshmen Mary Kate Mooney (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) and Grace Giza (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) paced the Huskies offensively with eight kills apiece while redshirt senior Sarah Gomish (Ebensburg, Pa./Bishop Carroll Catholic) added seven. Gomish's seven kills moves her to within three of reaching 1,000 kills for her collegiate career. Freshman Emma Van Arsdale (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) totaled 22 assists while sophomore Alyssa Cianciulli (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) paced Bloomsburg defensively with 16 digs. Giza and fellow freshman Mia Nicholes (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) each posted four assisted blocks while freshman Alora Conrad (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) added three.

The hitting percentages proved to be the difference in the match as Seton Hill finished the night with a .250 mark including a .419 percentage (16 kills, three errors, 31 attempts) in the second set. The Huskies were held to just an .093 hitting percentage for the match.

Seton Hill jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set as Viktoria Farian led the way with a kill and two service aces during the stretch. The Huskies bounced back with consecutive points to cut the lead to 7-5 thanks to an assisted block from Giza and Nicholes and a kill from Mooney. Bloomsburg hung tough and eventually tied the set at 13-13 after a hitting error from Farian. Mooney had a pair of kills while Gomish and Nicholes added one each during the spurt. But, the Griffins scored five of the next six points in the set to take an 18-14 lead and never looked back as they eventually took the first set by a 25-19 final.

The Huskies got off to a fast start in the second set, jumping out to a 10-6 advantage. Giza had three kills to pace Bloomsburg offensively during the run. Bloomsburg also had service aces from Cianciulli and freshman Meghan Gehr (Parkesburg, Pa./Garden Spot). But, Seton Hill went on an 11-3 run from that point to erase the four-point deficit and turn it into a four-point advantage as the Griffins grabbed a 17-13 lead which forced a Huskies' timeout. After the timeout, Bloomsburg scored the next two points - on a Griffin service error and a kill from Mooney - to trim the lead to 17-15. The teams exchanged points and, after another kill from Mooney, the Huskies trailed 21-19. But, Seton Hill scored the final four points of the set to win 25-19 for a 2-0 lead in the match.

Bloomsburg scored the first three points of the third set on a service error, a Mooney kill, and an assisted block from Giza and Nicholes. But, Seton Hill scored nine of the next eleven points to take a 9-5 advantage before the Huskies went on a run. A Griffin service error, an ace from Mooney, a Griffin hitting error, a block from Conrad and Van Arsdale, a kill from Gomish, and another Griffin hitting error resulted in a 6-0 run for the Huskies after which they took an 11-9 advantage. After three straight points by the Griffins, Bloomsburg responded with three straight points - two on kills from Gomish - to take a 14-12 lead. Seton Hill, however, went on a mini 8-4 run to retake a 20-18 lead and, again, the Huskies could not recover as the Griffins went on to complete the sweep, 25-22.

Farian paced the Griffins with 16 kills and 11 digs in the victory.

Bloomsburg will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, September 15, with another road conference matchup against the Vulcans of California (Pa.). Start time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

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