CALIFORNIA, Pa. – For the second-straight season, the Bloomsburg University volleyball team opened the season 1-0 as the Huskies defeated Lake Eric College in a thrilling five-set match Friday night at the Vulcan Invitational, hosted by California (Pa.).

The Huskies dropped the first set 25-22 before rallying for a 25-23 win in set two and a 25-21 win in the third set. The Storm came back to even the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth set before Bloomsburg held off a late fifth-set rally to win 15-13.

 

Match 1 ✅
Win No. 1 ✅@BUHuskiesVB defeats Lake Erie in a five-set thriller to open the year 1-0. Aydan Espinal (Rock Hill, S.C./Rock Hill) dished out 30 assists and Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) posted 12 kills. Full stats/story to come! #Unleashed pic.twitter.com/YtArIDHCCx

— BU Huskies (@GoBUHuskies) August 26, 2022

 
Bloomsburg finished the match with three players in double figures in kills as junior Liz Bopp (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) had an impressive day at the net for the Huskies with a .385 hitting percentage behind 10 kills and no errors. Bopp had a pair of block assists and led the team with four service aces. Graduate student Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) led the team with 12 kills and .222 for the match with just four errors in five sets. She added a pair of aces and a block assist while senior Shayna Warfel (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) chipped in 11 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Maura Ushock recorded a career-best 33 digs.
 
As a team, the Huskies hit .132 for the match, including a .235 average in the deciding set behind five kills and just one error.
 
The two teams were embattled in a tight match from the first whistle. Trailing 11-7, the Storm used a seven-point swing to take a 14-11 lead midway through the first set. Lake Erie built an 18-12 advantage before the Huskies pulled to within one, 19-18, thanks to a kill from Bopp. The Huskies kept the set close, but the Storm hung on for a 25-22 win to open the match.
 
The second set played even closer as neither team led by more than two until a four-point run by the Huskies gave Bloomsburg a 20-16 lead. The run was punctuated by a pair of kills from junior Jenna Dubosky (Summit Hill, Pa./Panther Valley). The Storm came back with a five-point run to take a 21-20 lead before the Huskies out-scored Lake Erie 5-2 to close out the set and tie the match 1-1.
 
Bloomsburg carried the momentum into the third set as the Huskies built a 14-6 lead. Lake Erie eventually tied the set at 18-18 before a Storm service error and attacking error gave the Huskies a 20-18 lead. Lake Erie tied it again at 20-20, but Buell gave the Huskies a lead for good with a kill before a bad set by the Storm pushed the Huskies' lead to 24-20. Lake Erie fought off the first set point, but Dubosky closed the game with a kill to give BU a 2-1 match lead.
 
Lake Erie battled back to tie the match at 2-2 after a back-and-forth affair in the fourth set. With the game tied 23-23, the Storm capitalized on a pair of Husky errors to take a 25-23 win.
 
Trailing 8-7 in the fifth set, the Huskies took control of the game with three-straight points thanks to a kill from Buell and a pair of attacking errors by the Storm. A Lake Erie block made it a 10-9 set in favor of BU, and a kill from Bopp and error by Lake Erie pushed the Huskies' lead to 12-9. The Storm got one point back, but Warfel pushed the Huskies' lead to 13-10 with a kill, and Bopp's service ace gave the Huskies their first match point. The Storm staved off three-straight match points before the Huskies claimed victory with an attacking error by Lake Erie.
 
The Huskies return to action on Saturday morning at the Vulcan Invitational when Bloomsburg takes on Frostburg State at 11:00 a.m. and the hosts, California (Pa.), at 4:00 p.m.