PHILADELPHIA - The Bloomsburg volleyball team split its two games at the Jefferson Invitational on Friday.
In the first match, the Huskies (4-2) fell in straight sets to American International (6-0) in the early afternoon.
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The Huskies rebounded from their earlier defeat to pull off a reverse sweep and knock off Holy Family (1-2), 3-2. Trailing by two sets, Bloomsburg found itself, offensively and defensively, able to storm back into the contest. The Huskies outhit the Tigers, .298 to -.035 between the third and fourth sets to set up a pivotal final frame. Bloomsburg's attack kept firing on all cylinders, recording 12 of its possible 15 points in the fifth set from kills on 17 total attacks to earn the victory.
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Offensively,
Katie Kuehl (Aston, Pa./Archmere Academy (Del.)) led the way for the Huskies, combining for 21 kills across the two matches while hitting .396. In the team's second contest, Kuehl finished with a team- and match-high 17 kills against Holy Family.
Abigail Eagler (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) jumped in with 11 kills in the second match at a .276 clip, tacking on five aces for a career-high 17 points in the win. Setters
Sara Kokolus (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom Area) and
Jessica Rimbo (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) spearheaded the team's offensive efforts in match two, combining for 47 assists, with Kokolus tallying a season-best three aces and Rimbo notching a career-best 29 assists against the Tigers.
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How It Happened:
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Match One:
The match began with Bloomsburg capitalizing on mistakes from Yellow Jackets to go up 2-0 in the first set. AIC settled in following the early miscues to eventually close the first set by a score of 12-25.
Lydia Worthing (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood Antis) finished the first set of the day with two kills.
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AIC carried its momentum into the next set, claiming set two with a similar display at 10-25. The Huskies and Yellow Jackets started the second set by exchanging side outs through the first 12 points. AIC broke through the point trading with an 11-0 run to pull out in front.
Julia Holmes (Elkton, Md./Bohemia Manor) provided strong defensive efforts for Bloomsburg along the back row, converting a pair of digs into kills.
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The Huskies pieced together their best offensive output of the match in the third set, outhitting the Yellow Jackets, .297 to .147, with a 14-10 edge in kills. The uptick could not help Bloomsburg win back a set, with the team falling in the final frame, 22-25. The Huskies brought the challenge to AIC throughout the third set, remaining in touching distance before forcing a late tie at 21-21. The Yellow Jackets would cap off the set and the match with the final two points to come out on top.
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Match Two:
After coming up short in the first two sets, the Huskies reversed their fortunes with an assertive third-set decision. Bloomsburg took the set, 25-13, closing on a 6-0 run. The Huskies' middles made their presence felt during this initial push, with
Lena Jones (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area),
Sophie Wales (Port Matilda, Pa./State College), and Worthing combining for seven of the team's 10 kills in the set.
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In the fourth set, the two sides traded points before a 4-0 run by Holy Family saw Bloomsburg trail 5-8 early. Following a timeout by the Huskies, the team went on an 8-1 stretch to reclaim the advantage at 13-9 and force a timeout from the Tigers. Bloomsburg pieced together enough winning rallies to force a fifth and final set.
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The Huskies saw their opportunity and seized it with ferocious intensity at the net in the final set. Bloomsburg went up 7-3 behind multiple kills from Kuehl and
Sasha Moody (Abington, PA/Abington Senior), an added point from Eagler, and service aces by
Hannah Au (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and Kokolus before a timeout whistle. Holy Family found itself within one point of tying the match on several occasions, including a narrow 13-12 advantage for the Huskies. It was Kokolus who made the winning plays for the Huskies in the end, registering a kill to grab a two-point cushion before setting up Eagler for the game-clinching kill in a 15-12 final set.
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Numbers of Note:
18 - Another important piece of Bloomsburg's win against Holy Family was its aggressiveness from the service line. The Huskies combined for 18 aces as a team, the second most in a match in program history.
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4 - The Huskies are handling the pressure well against a solid non-conference schedule to begin the season. Bloomsburg has so far taken on four teams from last season's NCAA Tournament field and is 2-2 in those contests.
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3 - Five different players for the Huskies finished with at least three aces in the match. The list includes Eagler, Au (4), Kokolus, Moody (3) and Wales (3).
On the Horizon:
The Huskies wrap up the weekend at the Jefferson Invitational with a contest against hosts Jefferson on Saturday, September 5, at 3:00 p.m.
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