BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg volleyball team fought until the end in a four-set defeat on the road against East Stroudsburg on Tuesday.
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Despite going down two sets, the Huskies (9-12, 1-9 PSAC East) recovered to take back the third set, 25-19. Bloomsburg managed to keep within touching distance of the Warriors (15-7, 8-2 PSAC East) for much of the fourth set, but a timeout by East Stroudsburg halted the Huskies and allowed the Warriors to pull away for the victory.
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Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) led Bloomsburg on the evening in kills (13) and service aces (3).
Lena Jones (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) tallied 12 kills for the Huskies with a career-high five digs.
Sasha Moody (Abington, PA/Abington Senior) pieced together a well-rounded performance for nine kills, 10 digs, two aces, and two block assists. Defensively,
Lydia Worthing (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood Antis) led the way with five block assists while adding four kills, and
Sara Kokolus (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom Area) followed behind with four block assists along with 13 digs.
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How It Happened:
Bloomsburg kept it close through the early portions of the first set, merely trailing at the beginning, 5-6. A series of errors as part of a 6-1 stretch in favor of the Warriors saw that gap grow to six. As the Huskies showed signs of resistance, the East Stroudsburg defense, with three blocks in a six-point run, stymied Bloomsburg's attacking efforts. The gap had grown too large to overcome for the Huskies, as the Warriors took hold of an early lead, despite Bloomsburg closing the opening set on a 6-2 stretch.
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The second set did not swing the Huskies' way either, as a 5-0 run set the tone in the race to 25 points. While Bloomsburg cut the East Stroudsburg lead to just three, the Warriors found the means to pull ahead. The hosts would go on to capture the second set, 15-25.
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The Huskies were unwilling to go down without a fight, and that resolve showed itself in the third set. After a period of seven consecutive sideouts to begin the set, Bloomsburg spurred a 4-0 run with the attacking efforts of Jones and Moody to grab a 6-4 advantage. East Stroudsburg would tie the set again, but Moody's offensive output, with a kill and two aces, created another 4-0 run and gave the Huskies a four-point cushion. The Warriors tried several times in the third set to erase the deficit, but for a time, for every point East Stroudsburg would find, Bloomsburg mustered two or three in response. Kuehl would put the finishing touches on the set with a pair of kills, as the Huskies had given themselves new life in the match.
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Bloomsburg tested the Warriors throughout the fourth set, staying within two points for a large portion of the action. In the end, the Huskies could not string enough points together to surpass East Stroudsburg and force a fifth set. When in a pinch, Bloomsburg turned to Kuehl, as the outside hitter on two different occasions pulled the Huskies within two by recording back-to-back kills. By the end of the match, Bloomsburg had run out of steam in its pursuit of catching the Warriors as a number of errors hurt the Huskies' comeback chances.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies are back on the road on Friday, October 23, at 6:00 p.m., to take on West Chester.
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