CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University women's volleyball team dropped a back-and-forth contest in the season opener at the Vulcan Invitational Friday afternoon.

The Huskies' opening-day efforts were led by sophomore Emma Antigua (Kimball, Minn./Kimball), who finished with a team-leading and career-high 17 kills (.263) on the day. 2022 second-team All-PSAC East selection Liz Bopp (Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria) also finished the match with double-digit kills, ending the day with 10 (.333).

Senior Emily Jackson (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) led the defensive charge in the middle, finishing with six total blocks while adding five kills.

A pair of standout freshmen made their debuts for Bloomsburg on Friday. Setter Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) recorded a double-double in her collegiate debut with 33 assists and 14 digs. Hannah Swank (Boswell, Pa./Conemaugh Township) concluded the day with seven kills, eight digs and a team-best three service aces.

How It Happened: 
Bloomsburg captured the first set of the match 25-21 by capitalizing on critical runs throughout. The Huskies worked a 5-2 cushion after a 3-0 run that included decisive play from Antigua and Hannah Swank (Boswell, Pa./Conemaugh Township). Bloomsburg took advantage of several mistakes by Ohio Dominican to extend the lead to 10-4. After the first set, even at 16-16, a decisive kill from Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) powered the Huskies past the Panthers. Bloomsburg closed the first set with a .345 hitting percentage.

The Huskies found themselves down 10-1 in the second set but showed tremendous effort to close the gap before the Panthers ultimately evened up the contest. Bloomsburg began to reduce the margin to 12-7 with a 5-0 run. Emily Jackson (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) led the defensive efforts in the burst with a pair of blocks. Down 23-18, the Huskies brought the Ohio Dominican advantage to one before dropping the following two points and the set.

The third set was another back-and-forth between the sides, with the teams trading points throughout the set. After falling behind 25-26, the Huskies came out of a timeout and rallied off three consecutive points to take the set 28-26 and a 2-1 match lead. Antigua, Jackson and Swank combined for 12 kills, while Jackson and Swank combined for the set-sealing block.

Ohio Dominican forced a fifth set after taking the fourth by a score of 25-18. The Panthers closed on a 9-1 run to extend the match. Bopp provided an offensive spark for the Huskies, ending the fourth set with four kills.

The Huskies could not hold on, dropping the fifth and final set on opening day 5-15. The team wrapped up the day with a .224 hitting percentage, eclipsing .300 in the first (.345), third (.341) and fourth sets (.320) while totaling seven blocks. 

Junior Maura Uschock (Irwin, Pa./Hempfield) began her 2023 season with a team-high 23 digs and career-best five assists in the opening match. 

On The Horizon:
The Huskies return to the court on Saturday for a pair of matchups to wrap up the Vulcan Invitational. Bloomsburg will take on West Virginia Wesleyan at 10:00 a.m. before a 3:00 p.m. match with hosts California (Pa.).