SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (October 22, 2011) – Kutztown University women's volleyball senior Erin Kissling (York, PA/Central York) had a career-high 19 kills to lead KU to a 3-2 comeback victory over Shippensburg University Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup from Heiges Field House.  (BOXSCORE)
 
Kissling has now had eight or more kills in her last six matches for the Golden Bears.  She is tied for second on the team with 206 kills this season and is one of five Golden Bears with triple-digit kills in 2011.  Kissling also had 17 digs in the victory and has had double-digit digs in three of her last four games.
 
The Golden Bears (21-6 overall, 10-5 PSAC) have now won five in a row and are beginning to solidify their place in the top two in the Eastern Division with Lock Haven.  Shippensburg (10-17, 5-10) is still alive to make a return trip to the conference playoffs.
 
Things seemed a bit uneasy for the Golden Bears in the early going.  With a late lead in the first game, KU let up six straight Shippensburg points to find itself needing to climb out of a hole.  Kissling and the rest of the Golden Bears showed tremendous poise down the stretch and came out with fourth and fifth set victories to earn the come-from-behind victory.  KU is now 6-0 in five-set matches this season.
 
“This was a great win on the road for us against a talented team that has been playing well,” head women's volleyball coach John Gump said.  “Erin was terrific today and had one of the best offensive performances of her career when we really needed it.”
 
Brittany Harman (Hanover, PA/South Western) closed out a fantastic weekend for KU. The junior added 13 kills in Saturday's victory along with 18 digs.  In Friday's win over Millersville, Harman had a career-high 15 kills with ten digs.
 
Seniors Cali Snell (York, PA/York Suburban) and Cait Hess (Newark, DE/St. Mark's) had nine and seven kills apiece, respectively.  Hess leads KU with 208 kills followed by Snell with 206.  Brianna Risch (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) also added five kills in the victory.  Kimberlee Gomber (Washington, PA/Washington) led the Golden Bears with 21 assists.
 
As great as KU's offense was Saturday, the front line on defense really stepped up its play and shut down and Shippensburg runs.  KU had 14 total blocks compared to Ship's four.  Risch and Katie Lutz (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle Antrim) led the way with four total blocks each.  The duo was a major reason why the Raiders were held to a .058 and .057 hitting percentage in the fourth and fifth games, respectively.
 
“Our blocking came alive late and really changed the momentum of the match,” Gump said.  “Our players really picked me up today.  I was a bit disappointed when we let our lead in the first set slip away, but the team fought hard to get the win.”
 
Lindsey Smith (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) tallied a game-high 23 digs and now leads KU with 513 this season.  The senior has played tremendous all season long despite being sidelined for a pair of matches due to injury.  Smith is fourth in KU history with 1,433 digs, and is 46 behind Dani Witherite.
 
Shippensburg was led by Jill Edwards and Erin Flick.  Edwards tied Kissling's game-high of 19 kills, with Flick chipping in 17.  Andrea Heimsoth had a game-high 59 assists in the setback.        
 
Kutztown will have the week off to prepare for a pivotal Eastern Division matchup on Friday, Oct. 28 against Lock Haven.  Game-time for KU's third consecutive road game is set for 7 p.m.