CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to close out the Vulcan Invitational on Saturday. The Huskies fell to Frostburg State 3-0 in the opening match before falling to California (Pa.) 3-2 in the day's final game.
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For the day, the Huskies hit 0.081 for the day (73-50-284). Bloomsburg had 12 service aces for the day and 16 blocks.
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Match One – Frostburg State 3, Bloomsburg 0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-13)
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In the day's opening match against Frostburg, the Huskies struggled to get into a rhythm against the Bobcats. Graduate student
Sydney Buell (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) opened the game with a kill, but the Bobcats got the serve and rattled off five-straight points to take a 5-1. They got two points back to make it 5-3, but that was as close as BU got for the game. The Bobcats used several long runs to take the first set 25-10.
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The Bobcats picked up where they left off in the second set and built a 5-1 point lead. The Huskies battled back and eventually made it a one-point game, 10-9, thanks to a pair of unforced Bobcat errors. Frostburg used a 6-1 run to push its lead to 16-10 and take control of the set, finishing it with a 25-16 win.
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The third set opened closer than the first two as the two teams were tied 7-7 after a kill by Buell and an error by the Bobcats. Frostburg used a 12-0 to essentially take control of the set and the match with a 19-7 lead. After the Huskies got a point back, the Bobcats rattled off three-straight points to take a 22-9 lead. Senior
Sarah Mace (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Basil Academy) halted the run with a kill, and the Huskies went on a 5-2 run to cut the lead to 24-13. The Bobcats closed out the set and match thanks to a Bloomsburg service error to take the third set 25-13.
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Buell led the Huskies with six kills, while junior
Liz Bopp (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) chipped in five. Senior
Brooke Kratzer (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) led the team with 10 assists, and sophomore
Maura Uschock (Irwin, Pa./Hempfield) finished the day with 18 digs.
Match Two – California (Pa.) 3, Bloomsburg (2) (21-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-9)
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The Huskies came out strong in the first set as freshman
Allison Saalfrank (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) served five-straight points, including three service aces. The Vulcans eventually tied the set at 9-9, but the Huskies pushed their lead to 15-10 thanks to a kill from senior
Shayna Warfel (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor). The Huskies kept the Vulcans at bay, and kill by
Sarah Mace (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Basil Academy) ended the first set 25-21 in favor of BU.
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Bloomsburg battled back from an early deficit in game two as a Vulcan error tied the set at 10-10, and a kill by
Emily Jackson (Dover, N.J./Morris Hills) and a block by Jackson and Buell made it a 12-10 set. The two teams went back-and-forth until Bloomsburg took the lead on a Vulcan service error for good, 16-15. A pair of service aces from Uschock gave the Huskies an 18-15 lead before a Vulcan error and kill from Warfel pushed the Huskies' advantage to 20-15. Bloomsburg kept California from going on any runs in the final plays of the set, and the Huskies took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-20 win.
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The Huskies led 10-8 at the beginning of the third set before the Vulcans came back and used a six-point run to take a 14-10 lead midway through the set. The Huskies made it a one-point game, 14-13, but could not take the lead back from the Vulcans as California closed out the set 25-21 to extend the match.
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Bloomsburg raced out to a quick 4-0 lead in the fourth set and eventually pushed its lead to 15-11 thanks to another Mace kill. Bopp got in on the action with a kill to give Bloomsburg a 16-12 lead before the Vulcans came back to make it a one-point match,16-15. Warfel extended the Huskies' lead to 17-15 with a kill of her own, but the Vulcans strung together four-straight points to take the 19-17 lead. Jackson tied it at 20-20 for the Huskies, but Cal went on a 5-2 run to close out the set, 25-22, and tie the match at 2-2.
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The Vulcans carried the late momentum into the fifth set and raced to a 4-0 lead. The Huskies cut the lead to 5-4, but The Vulcans reached the eighth point first and led 8-5 at the change-over. After switching sides, the Vulcans used three-straight points to lead 11-6 and closed out the match on a 4-2 run for the 15-19 set and 3-2 match win.
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The Huskies return to action next weekend as they head to the Hall of Fame City Challenge, hosted by Malone University in Canton, Ohio. The Huskies open the weekend against Davenport on Friday, September 2, at 12:15 p.m.
