CLARION BOX / IUP BOXSCORE

INDIANA, Pa. (September 16, 2011) – The Indiana University of Pennsylvania women's volleyball team had nearly 500 raucous supporters dressed in black T-shirts on their side. Meanwhile, Kutztown, clad in gold uniforms, had each other and that made the difference as the Golden Bears pulled out a memorable 3-2 victory Friday night.
 
Opening its state-of-art Kovalchick Complex, IUP celebrated a “Black Out” but it was Kutztown that eventually turned out the lights, silenced the crowd, and finished a tough day with a fantastic finish. In a match featuring more action than Zoe Salanda's "Colombiana", the Golden Bears won the thrilling Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) crossover contest, 14-25, 25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 15-11.

In the fifth game, the Golden Bears took nine of the last 11 points for the match win.
 
Kutztown (11-2 overall, 1-1 PSAC) got contributions from everybody as it rebounded from a 3-0 loss to reignning PSAC champion Clarion earlier in the day. The Golden Bears displayed heart, tenacity, and resilence as they continued their hot start to the season. Quite simply, Kutztown refused to lose to the Crimson Hawks (7-4, 1-1).
 
“It was so loud in there and a fun environment to be in,” senior defender Lindsey Smith (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) said. “To come back tonight and show the fight we did against IUP turned around the whole day and our attitiude. Even against Clarion, we did a lot of good things, but we didn't capitailize. We would do five good things and then do something bad and lose that point. We were confident coming into this match.”
 
Sophomore Liz DiValerio (King of Prussia, PA/Upper Merion) played the game of her life by registering career-highs in digs (17) and kills (12). DiValerio was two different players in the matches against Clarion and IUP. She admitted to being timid and nervous against Clarion. Later in the day against IUP, DiValerio played with veterans' poise and plenty of confidence.
 
Even though DiValerio knows she didn't play to her potential in the opening match against Clarion, her teammates came to her rescue. They know how valuable DiValerio is to their championship recipe. They encouraged her and provided motivation. DiValerio, a 6 foot, 1 inch leaping machine, has been working hard in practice. The extra time in the gym is beginning to pay off.
 
“My teammates helped me between matches,” DiValerio said. “The crowd was pretty intimidating, but we were able to stay focused on the match. In the match against IUP, the sets were awesome. Our passing was fantastic and I was able to take advantage of the sets I was given. It was so exciting and so fun to play in a match like that.”
 
DiValerio wasn't the only killing machine for Kutztown. Cali Snell (York, PA/York Suburban) and Cait Hess (Newark, DE/St. Mark's) slammed 11 kills each. Kimberlee Gomber (Washington, PA/Washington) had a blast finishing with 26 assists. Smith recorded 27 digs for the Golden Bears. Dana Wright (Warminster, PA/Saint Basil Academy) had a solid effort as she recorded 19 digs. Erin Kissling (York, PA/Central York) hustled and bustled her way to 18 digs.
 
Once the match ended on a IUP error, Smith let out her trademark yell that was so loud that people on Main Street probably heard the excitement in her voice. DiValerio's performance was a welcomed sight for the Golden Bears, who believe she is headed for big things before she earns her degree.
 
“Liz really stepped up for us after struggling in the first match,” Smith said. “In the second match, she was a completely different player. Liz played hard and it was awesome to be on the court with her especially with how good she was playing. She sometimes doubts herself, but we told her, 'you got this and belive in yourself.' She was awesome against IUP.”
 
In the opening match against Clarion, Hess and Kissling led Kutztown with five kills each, but it wasn't enough. Smith added 11 digs and Gomber collected nine assists as KU fell short, 25-15, 25-17, 25-16.
 
Kutztown concludes its trip out west when it travels to California (Pa.) for a pair of matches. The Golden Bears will face Slippery Rock at 12:30 p.m. and California at 5:30 p.m. KU celebrated its latest victory with a quick meal at McDonald's.
 
“This is a really good win for us on the road,” Kutztown University head women's volleyball coach John Gump said. “After a rough first game, we did a nice job of settling down and playing well.”
 
--KU--