KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University women's volleyball team got back in the win column Saturday afternoon as the Huskies swept East Stroudsburg in straight-sets in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Central match up. The Huskies won 25-23, 25-19, 25-18, and improved to 8-17 on the year and 3-9 in the PSAC while the Golden Bears fell to 9-13 and 3-9 in conference play.
The two teams went back and forth in the opening set until Bloomsburg used a three-point run to push its lead to 11-6 and eventually 16-11 before the Golden Bears used a four-point run to cut the deficit to 16-15. Bloomsburg maintained its lead but Kutztown kept it close as the Golden Bears pulled to within two, 20-18, but Bloomsburg used a quick four-point sprint to extend its lead and earn its first set point at 24-18. The Golden Bears used a five-point run of their own to cut the lead to 24-23 but sophomore
Mary Kate Mooney (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) ended the set for the Huskies, 25-23.
Kutztown came out hot in the second set and led 8-2 before the Huskies tied the match at 8-8 with Mooney at the service line. The Golden Bears retook the lead at 13-9 but Bloomsburg clawed its way back and eventually tied the set at 16-all and took its first lead at 17-16. Kutztown tied it at 17-17 and 18-18 after a Bloomsburg point before the Huskies went on a six-point run thanks to the service of junior
Alyssa Cianciulli (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) to take the lead 24-18. A Golden Bears kill slightly delayed the Bloomsburg set win before sophomore
Grace Giza (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) finished it with a kill to give Bloomsburg a 25-19 win and 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set opened as a back-and-forth affair as the first set did but it was Bloomsburg that controlled the pace of play. The Huskies eventually broke away and took a 10-4 lead thanks to a kill from freshman
Julia Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty). The Golden Bears hung around, however, and cut the deficit to one, 15-14. That would be as close as Kutztown would get, however, as the Huskies rallied for four-straight points to extend their lead to 19-14. The Golden Bears chipped away and got to within three, 20-17 but three-straight kills from sophomore Autumn Atland gave the Huskies a 23-17 lead. Kutztown got a point back on a Bloomsburg service error but another Atland kill and one from Mooney closed out the set and the match 25-18 for Bloomsburg.
Sophomore
Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) turned in another career performance with 30 assists while Mooney led the Huskies with 12 kills. Cianciulli posted 29 digs for Bloomsburg and sophomore
Mia Nicholes (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) and Buell each finished the night with four blocks.
Bloomsburg continues its road trip as the Huskies head to Millersville University on Friday, November 1 for a 7:00 p.m. PSAC contest. Millersville is currently 18-7 on the year and 8-4 in conference place.
