BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg volleyball team dropped its final home game of the season at Nelson Field House in straight sets to Shippensburg Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies fall to 8-17 on the season with a 4-8 mark in PSAC play. The Raiders move to 20-8 on the season with an 11-1 record against PSAC East competition. 
Bloomsburg continued to show resolve in its final match of the weekend, seeing extended sets in two of the three played against Shippensburg. Dollie Byrd (Buford, Ga./Lanier) paced the Huskies offensively with 10 kills on the day, the sophomore's second consecutive performance in double figures. Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) continued her stellar freshman campaign with 33 assists (11.00 per set), the third occurrence in the freshman's career. 

Emily Jackson (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) and Tayla Miller (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) continued to be pillars of the Huskies' defensive efforts. Jackson recorded two solo blocks on the day with eight kills as Miller had a team-high 15 digs (5.00 per set) in the effort.

How It Happened: 
Bloomsburg had the visitors on the brink on several occasions throughout the match but could not finish its opportunities. 

Shippensburg had an early four-point lead in the opening set as the Huskies fought to chip away at the Raiders' lead. Down five at 17-12, Bloomsburg used a timeout to reset, leading to a four-point swing to cut the lead to 17-16. The Huskies capitalized on costly mistakes by Shippensburg while Byrd and Jackson chipped in to force a timeout from the visitors.

Down 24-20, the Huskies fended off four consecutive set points to eventually take a 25-24 lead deep into the opening frame. Marlee Johnson (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) and Jenna Dubosky (Summit Hill, Pa./Panther Valley) opened the five-point stretch for Bloomsburg with kills. Hannah Au (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) was the guiding hand in the service run with back-to-back service aces to tie the set at 24-24. The two teams battled, but the Huskies could not fend off the advances from Shippensburg, capturing the set 28-26.

Bloomsburg grabbed an early 6-5 edge to begin the second set. Dubosky and Liz Bopp (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) opened the frame with two kills to give the Huskies offensive momentum. That momentum soon swung in favor of the visitors in the form of several three-point spurts to grab a five-point lead at 16-11.

Allison Saalfrank (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Adelman teamed up to help cut into the Raiders' attempts to run away with the set; Shippensburg continuously found answers to whatever Bloomsburg had to grab a 2-0 edge in the match.

The two sides traded points in the early portions of the third set before the Raiders took a five-point advantage at 16-11. Byrd carried the offensive load in the Huskies' effort to claw back into the match with four kills to help cut the deficit to one. Livia Moore (Luzerne, Pa./Holy Redeemer) came off the bench and provided a spark to the Bloomsburg lineup, teaming up with Jackson on a block before recording a kill to tie the match at 24-24. Moore's kill would be the final point of the night for the Huskies, as Shippensburg secured the final two points of the afternoon.

Au played a pivotal role from the service line with a career-best and team-high four aces in the match. Miller's five sets per set was the libero's sixth game hitting the benchmark.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies head into the final weekend of the regular season looking to earn a spot in the PSAC Tournament. Bloomsburg first heads to West Chester to take on the Golden Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 10.