SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Bloomsburg volleyball team wrapped up its weekend at the Slippery Rock Invite with victories over Frostburg State and Slippery Rock.
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The Huskies (7-3) opened the day by beating the Bobcats (3-7) in four highly contested sets before sweeping hosts, The Rock (5-5), in three sets. Bloomsburg was led on Saturday by the performances of
Abigail Eagler (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim). The freshman topped the list in kills and points in both matches for the Huskies, including a career-best 17 against Frostburg. Eagler recorded her second career double-double with a season-high 13 digs against Slippery Rock.
Lena Jones (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) and
Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) both finished with 18 kills on Saturday, with Jones having a new career-high of 13 against the Bobcats.
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The middle tandem of
Sophie Wales (Port Matilda, Pa./State College) and
Lydia Worthing (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood Antis) had efficient days for Bloomsburg, combining for 24 kills to just two attack errors for a .500 hitting percentage, while each had a game with four blocks. The setter rotation proved impactful against The Rock, with
Sara Kokolus (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom Area) and
Jessica Rimbo (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) combining to average 11 assists per set. Kokolus additionally recorded her second career double-double in the victory over the Bobcats.
For her efforts over the weekend, Kuehl was named to the Slippery Rock Invite All-Tournament Team. The junior outside hitter 27 kills (2.7 per set) and 19 digs (1.9 per set) for Bloomsburg. Kuehl had her first career game with 10 digs in the victory on Friday over Roberts Wesleyan and had 10 kills on 19 attempts for a .421 hitting percentage against Slippery Rock.
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How It Happened:
Match One:
The Huskies got off to a desired start by taking the first, never trailing in the opening frame against the Bobcats. Bloomsburg found itself up 10-5 from a diverse set of attackers, with five players recording a kill and six registering a point. Following an early timeout, Frostburg State forced a 5-0 run to tie the set at 10-10. The two sides traded blows before a 6-1 stretch saw the Huskies pull out to 20-15 and force a second timeout from the Bobcats. Despite Frostburg pulling back within two, it was the Bloomsburg attack, led by three kills by Eagler in the final four points of the set, that came out on top.
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Needing to respond, the Bobcats opened the second set to a 5-1 lead. The Huskies would show tremendous resilience, rattling off a 6-0 run powered by Wales and Worthing in the middle, along with a pair of aces from
Charlie Mann (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin). Bloomsburg used the momentum to go up five at 14-9 before the Bobcats displayed their own rallying abilities to force another tie in the set at 16-16. The teams traded six consecutive sideouts until the Huskies looked to pull away, leveraging a three-point cushion. That cushion would not be enough, as Frostburg closed the second set on a 7-1 run to knot the match at a set apiece.
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The two sides remained in a tightly contested battle throughout the third set, with neither side able to muster a lead beyond three points. The difference reared itself in the quality of the attack between the two teams. Bloomsburg outhit Frostburg, .333 to .043, with the Bobcats committing seven attack errors to help the Huskies cause. Bloomsburg was offensively led by Eagler, notching three kills and three aces, including the set-sealing swing, and Kuehl with three added kills.
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The evenly fought match continued into what proved to be the final set. The two sides exchanged several series of points, with Frostburg holding a marginal 9-8 edge in the opening sequence. The Huskies would swing the momentum with a 5-0 run to claim a 13-9 advantage thanks to the efforts of Jones and Wales. The Bobcats chipped away at the lead as the set entered its final stages, eventually reclaiming the lead at 21-20. With both teams searching for a result, Bloomsburg started off the final sprint with a 3-0 run from Eagler, Wales, and Worthing, while Frostburg tallied successive offensive points to tie the set at 23-23. Jones would deliver on the next point to set up the match point for the Huskies, a chance they did not miss.
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Match Two:
Bloomsburg once again took on an engaged team in a competitive match, an opponent keen to defend its home floor. The Huskies and the Rock went back and forth numerous times in the opening set of the match, trading points and the lead on several occasions.
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Bloomsburg came out of the gate firing in the first set, recording 18 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. The efforts on the attacking front were headlined by Kuehl, with six of her 10 kills in the match. Eagler and Wales complemented the outside hitter with four kills apiece. The Huskies swung the momentum of the set with a 5-1 stretch to take hold of a 21-16 advantage, powered by three kills by Kuehl. The attempts by Slippery Rock to claw back in were futile, as Bloomsburg turned to its middles in Wales and Jones to claim the set.
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The Huskies carried the initiative over into the second set, jumping out to an 8-3 start. The mistakes by the Rock that helped Bloomsburg pull out in front soon began to get cleaned up, first tying the set at 10-10 before taking its first lead at 13-12. Slippery Rock would see itself with a lead until up 17-16, watching as the Huskies inched toward going up by two sets. Bloomsburg won the race to 20 points. Once there, the team returned to a fruitful well as its three primary middles all got in on the action to secure the second set.
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The third set appeared to initially rattle The Rock, with the home side hitting into three blocks and two unforced attack errors as part of an early 6-1 run for the Huskies. Slippery Rock once again managed to regain traction, eventually evening the set at 13-13. That point set off a stretch of 13 consecutive sideouts traded between the two teams. Bloomsburg emerged from the exchange leading 19-18 and rattled off a 3-0 run to a 21-18 advantage. Late errors by The Rock proved to be the downfall, as the home team hit themselves into a match-point scenario, surviving the first round before Kuehl closed the door on the evening.
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Numbers of Note:
20.5 - Eagler's game one was an outstanding individual performance that led the Huskies to victory. The first-year outside hitter became the sixth player in program history to record 20 points in a four-set match.
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.273 - As a team, the Huskies were in a strong rhythm offensively. Bloomsburg had its second- and third-best hitting performances of the season on Saturday at .269 and .277, averaging to .273 across the seven sets played.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies begin the PSAC East slate with the home opener against Lock Haven on Friday, September 18, at 6:00 p.m. against Lock Haven.
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