MERTZTOWN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg volleyball team dropped a conference contest on the road to Kutztown on Friday evening.
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The Huskies (7-8, 0-5 PSAC East) dug themselves into an early hole, falling behind and dropping the first two sets of the match. Bloomsburg got one set back against the Golden Bears (15-3, 3-1 PSAC East), but Kutztown put an end to the night by clinching the win in the fourth set.
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Sasha Moody (Abington, PA/Abington Senior) led the way for the Huskies offensively in Friday's matchup, recording a career-high 13 kills to go with seven kills and a block assist.
Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) joined Moody in double figures, notching 11 kills on the night.
Sara Kokolus (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom Area) and
Jessica Rimbo (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) added service pressure in the match, with the pair each registering a career-best four aces.
Emily Gustie (Crofton, Md./Crofton), performing in the solo act as the lone libero, recorded a match-high and season-best 21 digs.
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How It Happened:
The Huskies found themselves in less-than-ideal circumstances to start the night, surrendering the first two sets of the match. The Golden Bears began to pull away early in the opening set by creating a seven-point cushion. Bloomsburg cut that initial gap to four, but a 6-0 run saw Kutztown double the Huskies' total at 20-10. There was too much leeway given up, as the Golden Bears would claim the first set, 25-16.
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Bloomsburg would fall into the same trap to begin the second set, seeing Kutztown create an eight-point separation at 5-13. The lead in the second frame would eventually grow to 11 points at 10-21. The Huskies showed tremendous resolve as the second set wound down, outpacing the Golden Bears, 12-4, but the established deficit proved too much. Bloomsburg displayed signs of life in the contest, fending off numerous set points with a 6-0 run behind the efforts of Kokolus and
Lena Jones (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) until Kutztown found that final point it needed to go up 2-0.
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Bloomsburg turned their second-set display into a rallying effort, taking the third, 25-20. For the first time in the match, the Huskies got off to a strong start at the beginning of a set, opening with a 5-0 run. Moody, Kuehl, and Jones featured in the effort, each recording at least one kill. As the Golden Bears sought to close the gaps and keep their hopes for a sweep alive, Bloomsburg responded with another scoring spurt to maintain a six-point edge. Kutztown would eventually tie the set at 16-16, placing the onus once more on the Huskies to respond. A couple of sideouts would be traded by the teams before Kuehl and Kokolus would team up to inspire a 4-0 run to give Bloomsburg set point and later, the third set.
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Unfortunately for the Huskies, they could not maintain the improved attacking presence and defensive resolve to prevent Kutztown from clinching the match. Bloomsburg fended off early efforts by the Golden Bears to pull away, but the hosts found ways to extend their lead little by little. Kutztown eventually broke the fourth set with a 7-2 stretch to go up 20-12. Facing a match point down seven in the fourth set, the Huskies scratched away two points before the Golden Bears found the match-sealing kill.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies wrap the weekend road trip with a stop to take on Millersville on Saturday, October 3, at 1:00 p.m.
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