Bloomsburg Athletics

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Bloomsburg volleyball team rallied from down two sets to close out the season with a 3-2 victory against Millersville Saturday afternoon.

Offensively, Shayna Warfel (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) led the way for the Huskies (9-18, 5-9 PSAC East) with a team-high 17 kills on the day. Jenna Dubosky (Summit Hill, Pa./Panther Valley) complemented the performance with 15 kills, 12 digs and four service aces. 

Defensively, the senior middle tandem of Liz Bopp (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) and Emily Jackson (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) anchored the Bloomsburg comeback effort, with each recording 11 kills and at least four blocks while combining to hit .391 in the match. Tayla Miller (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) and Hannah Au (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) each finished the match with a team-high 17 digs.

How It Happened: 
Despite going back and forth with the Marauders (9-19, 3-11 PSAC East), the Huskies found themselves in an early 2-0 hole on the road. 

The two sides traded several sideouts to open the set, with neither team looking to surrender an inch. Millersville began to create separation in the opening frame, using a 5-0 run to grab a seven-point lead at 18-11. 

Dubosky rattled off three points for Bloomsburg, notching an ace and three kills to help close the gap to three before the home side claimed the opening set. 

The Huskies jumped out to an early 4-1 to begin the set behind early plays from Bopp. Bloomsburg expanded its advantage to six points in part to the offensive prowess of Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) and Warfel to make it 12-6. 

The Marauders regained their composure in the second set and rallied back with a 6-0 run to claim a 13-12 edge midway through the second set. Marlee Johnson (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) spearheaded the Huskies' efforts in the second frame, smashing home three consecutive kills. Tied at 21-21, a pair of attack errors gave the home side a window to claim a 2-0 edge in the match.

With its backs against the wall, Bloomsburg dug deep for a response. The two sides continued to battle as a service run led by Dubosky gave the visiting Huskies a 17-11 edge. Dubosky recorded another two aces in the stretch, while Jackson anchored the middle with a block and a kill. Bloomsburg rode the momentum in the third set to take the third set, 25-17.

The Huskies maintained their positive swing from the third set to force the deciding fifth set. The two teams continued to battle, with the Marauders taking the first swing in the set to grab a 15-11 lead and force a Bloomsburg timeout. 

A 4-0 run knotted the set at 17-17 before Millersville recaptured the lead at 20-17. After Bopp secured a kill, Livia Moore (Luzerne, Pa./Holy Redeemer) came off the bench to provide a spark from the service line and help the Huskies to a 22-20 lead. The Marauders answered the Huskies' run with one of their own to retake the lead. Jackson forced the fifth set of the afternoon, hitting home the subsequent three points as Bloomsburg tied the match up with a 25-23 fourth set. 

Ultimately, the Huskies resiliency paid off, taking the fifth set 19-17. Bloomsburg controlled the early portions of the final frame to take a 7-5 lead. Millersville looked to seize the moment with a 6-0 run to grab an 11-7 edge, but the play of Dubosky, Jackson and Warfel helped the Huskies retake a lead at 12-11.

Facing match point at 12-14, Adelman surprised the Marauders' defense with a dump to keep Bloomsburg in the match. The two teams continued to trade sideouts deep into the set before the senior trio of Bopp, Dubosky and Jackson clinched the reverse sweep for the Huskies.

Several Bloomsburg players reached impressive milestones throughout the 2023 campaign. Adelman wraps up her freshman season as the Huskies' single-season record holder in assists (881) and assists per set (8.47).

Despite missing action down the stretch, Emma Antigua (Kimball, Minn./Kimball) concluded her breakout sophomore game, averaging a school-record 3.84 points per set and finishing in the top five in kills per set (2nd) and kills (5th). Allison Saalfrank (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) came up one ace short of the program record but set the all-time program mark, averaging .47 aces per set. Miller ends the season with the fifth most digs in a season at 360.