SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg volleyball team fell in its first conference road test of the season at Shippensburg Friday evening.
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The Huskies (7-6, 0-3 PSAC East) had their moments against the Raiders (9-5, 2-1 PSAC East), but could not capitalize in critical moments and allowed the home side to regain momentum in their favor at pivotal points in the match.
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Lena Jones (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) finished with a team-high nine kills on the night, hitting .375 while adding two block assists.
Sophie Wales (Port Matilda, Pa./State College) and
Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) tied for second on the team with six kills in the contest. Wales added two block assists to her evening total.
Lydia Worthing (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood Antis) provided defensive support for Bloomsburg in the matchup, tying for a match best with five total blocks (1 solo, 4 assists).
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How It Happened:
The two teams began the evening deadlocked at 7-7 early in the first set. The Huskies managed to build a two-point cushion thanks to kills from
Sasha Moody (Abington, PA/Abington Senior) and Jones. Shippensburg responded with a 4-0 run to grab a 9-11 advantage and hold onto the lead for the remainder of the opening set. The Bloomsburg attack was out of sync for a large portion of the first frame, not recording a kill from the 9-7 point until a successful finish by Kuehl at 14-21. Despite a pair of late kills from Wales, the Huskies dropped the first set, 19-25.
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Bloomsburg did not get out of the gates well to begin the second set, trailing by five points early on. Overcoming a pair of service errors in between, the Huskies initially pulled their way back to within one at 10-11 before utilizing a 4-0 run to grab their first lead of the second frame at 15-14. The Bloomsburg middles served as the driving force in the effort, with Jones, Wales, and Worthing combining for 5.5 points over a nine-point period in the second set. The stretch resulted in a timeout from the Raiders, a pause in the action that took the wind right out of the Huskies' sails. Shippensburg used the break to regain its composure more than effectively, rattling off an 8-1 run to put the Huskies down 16-22 late in the set. It was Kuehl in the second go-around facing at the end of a set to provide offense, but the junior's two kills could not stave off the closing effort by the Raiders to go up by two sets.
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Unwilling to go down without a fight, Bloomsburg remained engaged in the third set in hopes of keeping the match alive. The sides again engaged in a back-and-forth, with the third set tied as late as 17-17. The Huskies first reached a two-point cushion at 13-11 and later with a three-point advantage at 16-13. On both occasions, Bloomsburg could not shake Shippensburg, with the host Raiders taking the next point following the 17-17 point and never looking back. Jones was the force keeping the Huskies within touching distance during the third set, recording five of her nine kills in the match in the face of defeat.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies wrap up their weekend road trip with a 1:00 p.m. face-off against Shepherd on Saturday, September 26.
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