KUTZTOWN, Pa. (October 28, 2011)—As the postseason draws closer, the Kutztown University women's volleyball team is ranked eighth in the NCAA Atlantic Regional poll.
The Golden Bears currently have an overall record of 21-6, with their in-region record at 20-6. In the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division, Kutztown holds a 10-5 record and is second behind Lock Haven.
Wheeling Jesuit, a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), tops the Atlantic Regional ranking. The rest of the poll features eight PSAC schools and one WVIAC school. Gannon is ranked second, followed by California (Pa.) in third, Clarion and Edinboro in fourth and fifth, Lock Haven sixth, and Slippery Rock in seventh. West Virginia Wesleyan and West Chester complete the rankings in ninth and tenth, respectively.
“I'm really happy that the outstanding play of our players has been recognized,” Kutztown University head coach
John Gump said. “It's been really enjoyable to watch this group come together and improve as the season has progressed. But, there are still two weekends left and I know our team is motivated to accomplish more.”
Kutztown has already accomplished its second consecutive season of 20-plus wins and is a top competitor in the PSAC on both sides of the ball.
KU leads the PSAC in blocks averaging 2.66 per game. The Golden Bears are also first in the conference in digs (17.08/game).
Kutztown has been led by several different players who bring their individual efforts together to transform into a perfect team effort.
Three Golden Bears have over 200 kills this season (
Cait Hess (Newark, DE/St. Mark's),
Cali Snell (York, PA/York Suburban), and
Erin Kissling (York, PA/Central York)). Snell a powerful force for KU leads the team in blocks with 94 this season. Snell has had plenty of help on the front row with
Katie Lutz (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle Antrim) and
Brianna Risch (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) tossing in 164 blocks. Hess has 72 blocks on the year.
Lindsey Smith (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) who already has 513 digs her senior season has been a driving factor for Kutztown.
Brittany Harman (Hanover, PA/South Western) and Kissling combine for 546 digs. Harman who has been a silent threat for the Golden Bears has played with more confidence this year, and in result has grabbed KU's only PSAC East Player of the Week award this year.
The Golden Bear will travel to Lock Haven on Friday, Oct. 28 for a highly-anticipated game between top-ranked Lock Haven beginning at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 29, KU will head to East Stroudsburg for a match starting at 2 p.m.
