MANCHESTER, NH – The Bloomsburg University volleyball team split the final day of the Saint Anselm/Southern New Hampshire Tournament as the Huskies defeated Post 3-0 in the second match after falling to SNHU 3-1 in the day's opening match.
 
Seniors Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and Mia Nicholes (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) each posted nine kills against Post while senior Bryn Stek (Ambler, Pa./Upper Dublin) dished out 16 assists and graduate student Alyssa Cianciulli (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) collected 17 digs. Senior Grace Giza (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) posted five blocks and six kills.
 
The Huskies and Post went back-and-forth in the first set as neither team could really pull away until Bloomsburg came back and built a 23-21 lead. After Post got one point back, their attack error on the next play gives the Huskies their first set-point. Post came back and tied it 24-24 but senior Mary Kate Mooney (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) ended the set with a kill and service ace to give BU a 1-0 match lead.
 
After the second set was tied 4-4, the Huskies pulled away from Post and never relinquished their lead. A kill by Giza gave the Huskies a 21-14 lead, their biggest of the set so far. Post got a pair of points back and after the two teams traded kills, the Huskies closed out the second set with three-straight points to win 25-17 and go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Bloomsburg continued to roll in the third set as the Huskies went on a 6-0 run to take an 11-6 lead midway through the set. The Huskies kept their foot on the gas and used a 4-0 and 5-0 run, highlighted by two kills and two aces from Buell, to take a 22-10 lead. Post answered with a 3-0 run of its own but Bloomsburg closed out the set and match with a 3-1 run to seal the 25-14 set win and 3-0 match win.
 
In the opening match of the day, the Huskies were down 2-0 and Southern New Hampshire was looking for the match sweep. The Huskies rallied to force a fourth set with a 25-20 win but SNHU held on and took the final set 25-16 to win the match.
 
Mooney led the Huskies with 14 kills while Buell and Giza each chipped in eight. Buell added three aces while Stek dished out 16 assists and Cianciulli collected 26 digs in the four sets.
 
After SNHU held on for 25-20 win in the first set, the Huskies found themselves down 24-22 in the second. After an SNHU attack error, Mooney's kill tied the set at 24-24. SNHU rattled off two-straight kills to take the set 26-20.
 
With the third set tied 9-9, the Huskies broke the stalemate with four-straight points to take a 13-9 lead, punctuated by a kill from senior Shayna Warfel (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor). SNHU got one point back but the Huskies did not let the Penmen back into the set. Bloomsburg pushed its lead to 20-14 before SNHU cut it back down to 20-16. The two teams traded the next five points to give Bloomsburg a 23-18 lead. After two-straight points from SNHU made it 23-20, Buell closed out the set with two-straight kills to seal the 25-20 win for Bloomsburg.
 
In the fourth and final set, SNHU raced out to a 8-0 lead and the Huskies could not find their answer. The Penmen rolled to a 25-16 win in the final set to take the match.
 
The Huskies hit the road again next weekend as Bloomsburg heads to the California (PA) Tournament. The Huskies open the weekend against West Liberty and California University of Pennsylvania on Friday night.