BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg volleyball team fell in straight sets to Shippensburg at Nelson Field House Friday evening, 25-27, 13-25, 20-25.

The Huskies suffered several setbacks throughout the contest that proved too much to overcome. The Raiders finished the day with a 13-8 ace advantage with just four service errors to Bloomsburg's six. The Huskies finished disadvantageously with 23 errors to 13 from Shippensburg, adding to the obstacles. 

Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), leading the Huskies' offense, finished with 27 assists, five digs, two kills, and two block assists on the night. Emily Gustie (Crofton, Md./Crofton) ended the day with her sixth consecutive match with double-digit digs, posting a match-high 19 while tying for the team lead with seven digs. Allison Saalfrank (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) continued her impressive run of form from the service line with another five-ace performance. Hannah Robson (Charlotte, N.C./Arborbrook) added three aces and finished second on the team with eight digs in her return to the court.

Bloomsburg drops to 5-10 overall with a 4-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Shippensburg improves to 10-9 on the season and 5-1 in conference action.

How It Happened:
The Huskies fell behind by four points at 10-6 in the early goings of the opening set. After a service error from the Raiders, Bloomsburg capitalized on a series of mistakes from Shippensburg to close the gap. Sophie Wales (Port Matilda, Pa./State College) and Adelman combined for a block and were supported by the attacking efforts of Lydia Worthing (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood Antis) and Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) in an exchange of sideouts.

Bloomsburg took its first lead of the first set with a quick 3-0 run featuring a kill from Adelman and an ace from Robson before Shippensburg responded with a 4-0 stretch to grab an 18-15 advantage. The Huskies were forced to chase again, staving off four consecutive set points and eventually took a 25-24 lead. Saalfrank set up Bloomsburg with a strong service run while Adelman and Gustie worked together to register three kills. In the end, the offense could not power past the Raiders en route to a 1-0 edge for the visitors.

Shippensburg used the momentum from the opening set to emphatically take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Huskies could not get anything going in the second set, with the Raiders' block proving effective in keeping the attack off-balanced. Saalfrank again looked to give Bloomsburg a fighting chance, but three consecutive aces were not enough to stop the visitors from sealing the second set.

Needing a spark, the Huskies came out firing in the third set, grabbing a 13-4 lead. The team's hitting form returned, with four players notching multiple kills in the set, led by three from Kuehl and Robson recording back-to-back aces to force a timeout from the Raiders. Shippensburg answered in a big way, eliminating the Bloomsburg lead and tying the match at 17-17.

Still, the Huskies found another means of response, using an attack error from the Raiders to build a 20-17 lead with contributions from Gustie and Saalfrank. The final blow of the night was Shippensburg closing out the third set on an 8-0 run to come away with the victory. 

Numbers of Note:
8 - Bloomsburg recorded eight service aces on the night, with five coming from Saalfrank and three from Robson.

0.65 - After tying the single-season ace record last season, Saalfrank continues her strong performance from the service line, tied for the conference lead in aces per set.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies will be back at home on Saturday, October 19, at 11:00 a.m., for a PSAC contest against Shepherd.