KUTZTOWN, PA (October 2, 2009) – Supported by its largest crowd of the year and back in familiar surroundings, the Kutztown University volleyball team defeated West Chester University, 3-0, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match at Keystone Arena Friday night. The Golden Bears won 25-22, 25-23, 25-19. (BOXSCORE)
Kutztown (8-6 overall, 1-5 PSAC) was paced by freshman Dana Wright (Warminster, PA/Saint Basil Academy) (Warminster/Saint Basil Academy) who finished with 20 assists and 13 digs. Junior Lindsay Confer (Wingate, PA/Bald Eagle) (Wingate/Bald Eagle) finished with a team-high 10 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore Erin Kissling (York, PA/Central York) (York/Central York) finished with seven kills. Junior Jamie Celia (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) (Douglassville/Daniel Boone) recorded a team-best 18 digs. Overall, Kutztown finished with 32 kills in defeating West Chester for the first time since 2007.
“I definitely think the crowd was a big factor and plus playing at home helped us too,” Confer said. “This is a huge win for us and it will help our confidence. I think the key for us tonight was we didn't get give up a big run of points and we kept the pressure on (West Chester).”
This was Kutztown's first home match since Sept. 12. Kutztown improved to 6-1 at Keystone Arena. In between home matches, the Golden Bears had lost five straight. They played well in stretches but weren't able to put everything together consistently.
Fueled by fired-up fans who received free gold “Paint the Town Gold” t-shirts and roared with every KU kill, dig, service ace and block, Kutztown played a solid match.
The Golden Bears took control early in the first game racing to a 16-10 advantage. The Golden Rams (9-7, 1-5) closed to within, 16-14, which forced Kutztown coach John Gump to call a timeout. Immediately after the timeout, sophomore Cali Snell (York, PA/York Suburban) (York/York Suburban) delivered a kill that settled Kutztown.
Throughout the action-packed match, both teams treated the crowd to long rallies, breathtaking athleticism, and great plays.
“We didn't get down on ourselves tonight,” Snell said. “We stuck together and worked as a team. (Going through the losing streak) was frustrating but at the same time we are still young and it was a learning experience for us. We're still getting to know each other and learning how to play together. This was a big win for us because West Chester is a good team.”
With Wright and freshman Kimberlee Gomber (Washington, PA/Washington) (Washington/Washington) setting up Snell, Confer, Kissling and senior Katie Miller (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown) (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown) for kills, the Golden Bears have the ingredients to be among the top teams in the conference. Celia and sophomore Lindsey Smith (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) (Hanover/Delone Catholic) are interchangeable pieces that give Gump defensive depth. Four players finished with double-digit digs. The Golden Bears are still evolving. Kutztown will have plenty of time to enjoy the comforts of home as its next match is a trip to Bowie State on Oct. 26.
“I believe this win started on Monday (when KU defeated Alvernia),” Gump said. “They came in after a tough weekend and put in a lot of work. I also think our kids were a little more relaxed and comfortable playing at home.”
About the only thing the Golden Bears didn't do well was save Gump a brownie. Resting on a green plate, Snell walked around the gym offering brownies to her teammates and their supporters.
Kutztown returns to action next Friday when it hosts Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.) in a pair of matches. The IUP match starts at 5 p.m. and the Cal contest begins at 7:30 p.m.
--KU--
