BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University volleyball team fell to Shepherd University in straight sets, Friday night. The Huskies slipped to 8-20 on the year and 3-12 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action while the Rams improved 24-3 and 12-3 in conference play.
 
The Rams won a tightly contested first set 25-22 before coming back to win the second set 25-20. Shepherd rolled to a third set 25-15 win to finish off the match.
 
Bloomsburg tied took a 5-4 lead in the first set after a three-point run as sophomore Kerri Dolack (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) served three-straight points for the Huskies. The Rams regained the lead at 8-5 with four unanswered points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Elyssia Smith and an ace from Peyton Lindblad. Shepherd would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the set despite the Huskies trimming the lead to 23-22 with a kill from sophomore Grace Giza (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West). Another kill from Smith got the ball back to the Rams at the service line and Jessica Karcz point an exclamation point on the set win with a service ace as Shepherd won 25-22.
 
The Huskies came out quickly in the second set as a pair of kills from Giza highlighted a 4-3 run to start the game. The two teams then traded the next five points as Shepherd time the set at 6-6. Sophomore Mary Kate Mooney (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) kicked off a 3-0 run for Bloomsburg to give the Huskies a 9-6 lead. Shepherd responded with a three-point run of its own to tie the game at 9-9 before the lead changed hands twice more with Shepherd taking a 14-11 lead thanks to four unanswered points. The Huskies wouldn't go quietly, however, and a kill from sophomore Mia Nicholes (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) kickstarted a four-point run to give the Huskies a 17-16 lead. The Rams answered with a two-straight points to retake the lead at 18-17. An unforced Ram error tied the game at 18-18 before Shepherd rattled off a pair of points to take the lead for good, 20-18. A Rams service error cut it back to one, 20-19, but the Rams used 5-1 run to end the game and seal a 25-20 win to take the 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The two teams traded the first two points of the third set before the Rams used a 8-1 run to push their lead to 9-2 and take control of the final set. The Huskies used a 4-1 run to cut the lead down to six, 10-4, but the Rams responded with a 9-1 advantage to push their lead to 19-7. A service error halted the run momentarily, however, the Rams earned two-straight points to take a 21-8 lead. A block and a kill from Giza combined with an unforced Rams error brought the Huskies back to within 10, 21-11. Kiara Rakestraw ended the Bloomsburg run with a kill before a kill from freshman Julia Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) got the Huskies back to the service line. Giza and Nicholes punctuated the three-point run for the Huskies before Shepherd closed out the set with a 3-1 run to cap the 25-15 win.
 
Giza led the team with 12 kills for the match and a solo block and two block assists while sophomore Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) handed out 12 assists and have five kills. Sophomore Bryn Stek (Ambler, Pa./Upper Dublin) finished the day with 10 assists and seven digs. Junior Alyssa Cianciulli (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) chipped in 17 digs for the Huskies. Nicholes had four block assists.
 
The Huskies get right back on the court as Bloomsburg hosts Shippensburg tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. in a PSAC contest at Nelson Field House. The Raiders come into the match with a 22-4 overall record and a 14-1 slate in the PSAC after sweeping Lock Haven in straight sets Friday night.