KUTZTOWN, Pa. (November 8, 2011) – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team left everything on the floor in Tuesday's night's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) quarterfinal match, but could not find the answer in its three sets against West Chester at Keystone Arena.  (BOXSCORE)
 
Despite the 3-0 loss, Kutztown (24-9), the second-seed in the PSAC tournament, has accomplished many great things this season.  KU's 24 wins this season is the most since 2007 when it won a school-record 28, and its 13 PSAC East victories are a KU school-record.
 
“This season really exceeded my expectations,” head women's volleyball coach John Gump said.  “You set goals at the beginning of the season, and even though we struggled in some areas early, the kids kept working and working to get better.  Towards the end of the season, we really hit a stride and played at a level that I could have only hoped for.”
 
In the preseason polls, Kutztown was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC. The 2011 Golden Bears surpassed these expectations by finishing second in the division and taking down some top in-conference opponents along the way.  Golden Bear fans certainly got their money's worth as well, as KU won 12 of its 15 home matches this season.
 
To no surprise, Kutztown's quintet of seniors led the charge all night and refused to give West Chester any easy points.  Cali Snell (York, PA/York Suburban) finished with eight kills, Cait Hess (Newark, DE/St. Mark's) had seven kills, Katie Lutz (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle Antrim) and Erin Kissling (York, PA/Central York) each tallied four kills, and libero Lindsey Smith (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) tracked down a game-high 20 digs.  The success this program has gained a great amount over the past four years can be highly attributed to the play and dedication of this group of student-athletes. 
 
“It's definitely been a journey,” Snell said on her four years at Kutztown.  “Tonight is a tough way to go out, but at the same time, we had so many good things happen this year.”
 
With so many different personalities on this year's team, Snell's leadership role has been something she has needed to adapt to over her time in maroon-and-gold.   She has led by example all season long and takes with her a plethora of achievements and accolades.  Snell has totaled 762 kills in her career and is tenth all-time in KU history.  She finished second on the team this season in total blocks (115) and is fifth in KU history with 367 in her career.
 
Hess came to Kutztown in 2010 and made an immediate impact with the Golden Bears.  Her explosiveness on the offensive end and ability to drive the ball through the floor is something that set her apart from most attackers in the PSAC.  She achieved the 1,000-career kill mark earlier this season and led KU this season with 255.
 
Smith has etched her name as one of the greatest volleyball players in KU history.  Since her opening match during her 2008 freshman campaign, Smith has contributed and been the spark KU has needed both on and off the floor.  Her energy, enthusiasm, and downright love for her team brought a sense of confidence to KU that even brought fans in attendance to their feet.
 
“It was amazing how through the season, we just knew exactly where everyone else was on the floor,” Smith said.  “This team meshed so well, and it's a shame to see it all come to an end.”
 
Smith finished with 631 digs this season and is third in KU history with 1,551 in her career.
 
A four-year member of the Golden Bears, Lutz turned Kutztown from a good team, to a great team on the defensive end.  She helped guide Kutztown to the top blocking team in the country and seemed to shut down opposing hitters time after time.  She led KU in blocking this season with 127 total blocks and entered Tuesday's match ranked second in the PSAC, averaging 1.18 per set.  Lutz has racked up 417 total blocks in her career and is third all-time in KU history.
 
“This group of seniors has just been terrific since the moment they got here,” Gump said.  “Through all the hard work they have put in, they have turned into one the most productive senior classes we have had. They have done some great things through the season and it will be tough to replace this group of girls.”
 
Kissling brought a nonstop positive attitude to this year's team.  She is always seen cheering her teammates on and has found a great deal of success on the court as well.  She was second on the team with a career-high 254 kills this season and became one of KU's top performers down the stretch.  Earlier this season, Kissling threw down a career-high 19 kills in KU's win over Shippensburg on Oct. 22.  As great a team that KU was in the closing matches of its regular season, Kissling knows that this team has continued to improve and build on its weaknesses since day-one of preseason camp.
 
“We had some ups and downs during the season, and to get to this point has been awesome,” Kissling said.  “I don't think a lot of people expected us to get 24 wins, but we came together, worked through our problems, and generally love each other.  Tonight just didn't work out for us, but it doesn't take away anything we earned this season and how much I love this team.”
 
From screaming at the top of their lungs after a big kill, to watching each other break out dancing in practice for no reason at all, this season has been an exciting ride for KU.  It achieved milestones that had never been reached in school-history, and for Kutztown's group of seniors, being a part of this team will stay with them for much longer than when they walk out the doors of Keystone Arena Tuesday night.
 
“These girls have really become my best friends,” Smith commented about her fellow seniors.  “We always get along and have really grown over the past four years.  I'm going to miss coming to practice because this group of girls is just so much fun to be around.  But what I've learned is once you're on KU volleyball, you're on there forever.”