BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg volleyball team fell in four sets in a tightly contested match at Nelson Field House to Shepherd Friday evening.

The Huskies are now 8-16 on the season with a 4-7 mark against PSAC East opposition. The Rams improved to 12-13 on the year and 7-4 in conference action. 

Dollie Byrd (Buford, Ga./Lanier) had a breakout offensive performance in the match, recording career highs in kills (15), digs (7) and service aces (3). Emily Jackson (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) continued a strong run of form in conference play, as the senior middle blocker notched 11 kills while hitting .364 with four total blocks. Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) was at the center of the Bloomsburg attack with 43 assists (10.75 per set), 14 digs, four total blocks and three aces while tallying a career-high six kills.

How It Happened: 
The match between the two sides was contentious throughout the night as three of the four sets played saw the winner extend past the standard 25.

The Huskies took an early 8-4 advantage in the opening frame thanks to strong returns from the service line. Tayla Miller (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) secured one to give Bloomsburg a 5-2 lead before Adelman rattled off back-to-back aces for the four-point edge. 

The visitors rallied back with a 5-0 run as the two teams continued to battle for a decisive lead. The Huskies forced a tie late in the set at 19-19 but soon faced a four-point hole at 23-19. The deficit did not deter the home side as Bloomsburg rallied to tie the set at 24-24 but could not stave off the Rams' efforts to take a 1-0 lead.

The teams continued their intense play into the second set, trading opportunities and the lead several times. The Huskies used a 6-0 run in the early stages of the frame to grab a four-point edge. Byrd anchored and kicked off the stretch with a kill before recording two aces and forcing a timeout from Shepherd.

The sides traded points deep into the set as a 6-0 run erased Bloomsburg's lead. Both teams were unwilling to surrender an inch, trading sideouts before the Rams were in the range of match point at 24-23. The Huskies answered with two successive points for a 25-24 advantage. Each team faced multiple set points in the conclusion of the second set before Adelman returned serve to Bloomsburg as the defense hunkered down and forced Shepherd into critical mistakes to tie the match at 1-1. 

Facing a critical third set, both teams put their best foot forward, but it was the visiting Rams that claimed a crucial 2-1 advantage. The visitors jumped out to a 12-7 lead into the set, but a 4-0 run from the Huskies, with kills from three different players, saw that deficit erased to one. Shepherd was unfazed by Bloomsburg's attempts to rally in the set en route to a 25-16 score in the third frame. 

Shepherd jumped out to an early 3-0 lead to begin the set before Jenna Dubosky (Summit Hill, Pa./Panther Valley) cut the early deficit to one with the Huskies' first kill and ace of the night. The teams were knotted up at 6-6 thanks to a pair of kills from Byrd before the Rams extended a 5-0 run for a four-point advantage. 

Bloomsburg answered with two 4-0 runs to grab a two-point lead at 16-14 off a block from Jackson and Adelman, as well as another ace from Dubosky. The Huskies held a 21-19 lead as Byrd rattled off three kills in four points, giving the sophomore five in the set. 

Shepherd scored four of the next five points to take a one-point lead and force a Huskies' timeout. Despite kills from Marlee Johnson (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) and Jackson, Bloomsburg could not force a fifth set.

Miller led the Huskies' defense with 18 digs for 4.5 digs per set, the 14th time this season averaging at least four digs per set. With 320 digs this campaign, the sophomore currently has the fifth-most in a season in program history. 

On The Horizon:
The Huskies play their final home match of the season at Nelson Field House on Saturday, November 4, at 12:00 p.m. against Shippensburg.