FAIRMONT, W.Va. - The Bloomsburg volleyball team picked up its first win of the 2024 season against Virginia Union to split its two games on the final day of the Fairmont State Classic.

The Huskies fell in straight sets to hosts Fairmont State, 19-25, 18-25, 12-25, to begin the day. In its second contest, Bloomsburg secured its first victory of the season with a 25-20, 25-22, 12-25, 31-29 decision over Virginia Union. 

Marlee Johnson (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) recorded 10 kills in both matches for the Huskies to end the first weekend of play with a team-leading 2.57 kills per set. Elise Adelman (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) set a season-high with five aces in the win over the Panthers while totaling four total blocks and tying for the team lead with eight digs.

How It Happened:
Game One vs. Fairmont State
The Huskies kept pace in the early goings of the first set, with the score knotted up at 9-9. Johnson, Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) and Sophie Wales (Port Matilda, Pa./State College) supplied the offense, with the trio combining for five kills and two service aces.

Fairmont State initially used a 5-2 stretch to build a cushion before firing off a 7-0 run to take a 21-11 advantage. Bloomsburg got two strong service runs from Kuehl and Allison Saalfrank (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) to eat away at the deficit, but two attack errors from the Huskies ended the set in favor of the home side.

The Falcons opened the second set with a 6-1 burst to create early separation. The Huskies chipped away at the lead as the set continued, cutting Fairmont State's lead down to one at 15-16. Johnson, Kuehl and Saalfrank continued to serve as the focal points of the Huskies' attack as Lydia Worthing (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood Antis) supplied offensive and defensive pressure from the middle to aid the mounting effort. The Falcons established breathing room en route to a 2-0 set lead with a 5-0 run to halt Bloomsburg's momentum.

The third set got away from the Huskies, as the team could not keep up with a locked-in Fairmont State offense. The Falcons countered any Bloomsburg attempt at establishing footing to come away with the win. 

Game Two vs. Virginia Union
After falling behind early in sets during the first game of the day, the Huskies worked hard to be the first to 10 in the opening frame at a 10-6 lead. Bloomsburg and Virginia Union traded points early on, with the teams tied at 6-6 before a 4-0 run from the Huskies established positive momentum. Worthing remained a steady presence for Bloomsburg in the middle, notching two kills and two total blocks to help put the Huskies up 15-8. 

Bloomsburg's lead in the first set grew to as much as 11 at 20-9 thanks to the efforts of Emily Gustie (Crofton, Md./Crofton) and Kuehl. The Panthers did not back down, clawing their way back into the set with a 7-0 run to force a Bloomsburg timeout at 20-16. The break allowed the Huskies to regain their poise, with four players recording a kill to help Bloomsburg start with a 1-0 lead.

The second set started similarly to the first as the teams traded points deep into the set. Down 14-15, the Huskies capitalized on several mistakes from Virginia Union to take a three-point lead at 18-15. As the Panthers tried to force another tie in the set, Johnson closed out the set for Bloomsburg with four of the final five points on five kills to grab a 2-0 edge in the match. Johnson led the Huskies in the set with five total kills as the team added four aces to their tally. 

Virginia Union found its footing in the match in the third set to make it 2-1. The Panthers jumped to a 5-0 lead that grew to 12-3. Kuehl registered all three kills in that stretch for Bloomsburg. Gustie looked to rally the team behind her efforts, tallying the next four points for the Huskies, including three consecutive aces. Bloomsburg could not capitalize on the service run as Virginia Union recovered and controlled the remainder of the set.

Facing a fierce fourth set, the Huskies were able to stave off the comeback hopes of the Panthers to clinch their first win of the season. Bloomsburg got off to a 4-1 start in the set before Virginia Union tied the set at 4-4. Kuehl helped the Huskies swing to a 10-6 edge in the frame with two kills and an ace in a 6-2 stretch before the Panthers again caught the Huskies to tie, forcing a 10-10 score.

Virginia Union captured its first lead of the set at 14-15 behind a tandem block. Worthing tied the set again, stopping the Panthers' attack in its tracks with a solo block and kicking off a 4-0 run to a 17-15 Bloomsburg advantage. As the teams began to trade points down the stretch, the team turned to Saalfrank, with the junior notching three consecutive kills for the Huskies. With a 24-22 lead, Virginia Union fought off two straight match points to tie the match at 24-24.

With extra volleyball on the table, both teams battled with the match on the line. The Panthers regained the lead at 27-26, forcing Bloomsburg to fend off a set point. The Huskies got out in front, 28-27, behind the efforts of Worthing and Wales in the middle. Tied at 29-29, Saalfrank sealed the win for Bloomsburg, first giving the team the lead with a kill before icing the match with the team's 15th ace.

Numbers of Note:
The Bloomsburg volleyball team set a program record with 15 service aces against Virginia Union. The previous record was 14, a mark reached by the team on two occasions. 

Kuehl reached double-digit kills for the first time in her career (11) to lead the team in the win over the Panthers. Johnson recorded double-digit kills in consecutive matches for the first time in her career after leading Bloomsburg across both matches with 20. 

Last season, the Huskies averaged 1.8 aces per set and have never finished above 1.9. Through the first four matches of 2024, Bloomsburg is currently at 2.3 aces per set.

On The Horizon:
The Huskies continue their month-long stretch of matchups on the road next weekend at the Vulcan Invitational. Bloomsburg takes on California (Pa.) on Friday, September 13, at 12:00 p.m. before taking on Frostburg State at 10:00 a.m. and Point Park at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 14.