Bloomsburg Athletics

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg volleyball team came through in dramatic fashion to earn a five-set victory over Wilmington Tuesday evening.

Marlee Johnson (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) had a career-best 15 kills on a career-high 37 attempts (.351 hitting percentage) as part of a two-headed attack that led the Huskies to the win. Emma Antigua (Kimball, Minn./Kimball) continued her impressive sophomore campaign, leading Bloomsburg with 18 kills. Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) showcased her efforts in a career performance, ending the night with a career-best mark of 55 assists (11.00 per set), the most in a single match by a Bloomsburg player in program history. 

The Huskies' defense showed up in opportune times, setting a season-best in blocks for the second consecutive match, recording 12 against the Wildcats.

How It Happened: 
The match was competitive from the start with both sides jockeying for early momentum. 

Bloomsburg found itself in front early with both teams trading strong offensive sequences. The Huskies held a lead as late as 19-18 in the opening frame but a 3-0 run from the Wildcats helped the visitors gain the advantage and eventually the set.

Antigua and Johnson were primed for excellent performances from the jump with both players finishing with six kills after the first set.

In the second set, Bloomsburg was able to regain its footing in the match to tie the contest at 1-1. Antigua shouldered more of the offensive workload for the Huskies, finishing set two with another six kills.

The Wildcats positioned themselves in the middle portions of the set to seal a critical set. A 3-0 run gave the away side a three-point advantage before a subsequent 6-0 run saw Bloomsburg down 20-13 in the set. 

A cumulative team effort, headlined by several crucial scoring runs, took the second frame to a tie at 23-23. Facing set point, clutch hitting from Emily Jackson (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) and Antigua forced the match to 1-1.

The Huskies flexed a dominant display in the third set, capturing a 2-1 advantage by a 25-13 mark.

The Bloomsburg defense was critical in the third set, forcing a sideout percentage of 100 and keeping Wilmington at bay with a -.038 hitting percentage. Johnson went a perfect 5-for-5 in the third frame while several crucial service runs from Allison Saalfrank (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), including two aces, gave the Huskies the lead.

The visitors did not go down without a fight, rallying to force a 2-2 tie and fifth set. The Wildcats stacked several important runs late in the fourth set to thwart the Huskies attempts at closing the match.

In the end, Bloomsburg prevailed in a 15-9 final set. Jenna Dubosky (Summit Hill, Pa./Panther Valley) led the Huskies with three kills in the final frame as five different players for the home side had a kill. Saalfrank showed up again in the final set with two service aces, including the match-sealing match point.

Antigua finished the contest with her fifth 20-plus point performance of the season.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies return to the road for PSAC action, beginning with a Friday matchup with Kutztown on October 13, at 6:00 p.m.