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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team is gearing up to travel for two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchups this weekend against division rivals, University of Pitt-Johnstown and Lock Haven.
 
UPJ is currently in second place in the East Division with a record of 9-6, while Lock Haven is a spot behind, sitting at 8-8. Kutztown needs to make a move this weekend in order to make a playoff run. Currently owning a 4-10 PSAC record, KU finds itself in sixth place, two spots out of the playoff race.
 
Kutztown finished up its cross-conference play earlier this season, suffering some painfully close defeats to the West Division.  With eight divisional matches still left to play for the Golden Bears, the playoff picture is far from being set in stone.
 
"We've reached the must-win stage of the season," Coach John Gump said. "We have some ground to make up and we can only do that by winning. We still have some matches left with the teams ahead of us but we need to put ourselves in a position to take advantage of that."
 
Kutztown struggled with these two opponents earlier in the season, falling to UPJ, 3-1, and to Lock Haven, 3-0, both at home. KU is looking for its first win since dropping Millersville in straight sets on Oct. 11.
 
"With a young team, there is still a lot of focus on what we do on our side and continuing to improve our execution," Gump said. "But, we're also spending time in the classroom and at practice preparing for some of the things we expect each team to do this weekend.
 
So far, sophomore Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) has led the Golden Bear offense with 274 kills. Freshman outside hitter Liama Goodrich (Birdsboro, PA/Daniel Boone) is not far behind with 228 kills.
 
Setter Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) has adjusted nicely to collegiate play so far in her freshman campaign, currently ranking seventh in the PSAC with 811 assists. Her 811 assists is currently the 10th most in a season for a Golden Bear, only 10 away from moving up to ninth place.
 
The upperclassmen have showed their dominance defensively at the net. Senior Nicole Brumbley (Oxford, PA/Oxford) has recorded 59 total blocks for an average of 0.91 blocks per set, 10th best in the conference. Junior Danielle Van Buren (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) has knocked down 61 total blocks to go along with 147 kills.
 
Freshman libero Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) has held down the defense, leading the way with 296 digs. Junior outside hitter Chelsea Braga (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach (Fairleigh Dickinson)) has contributed all over the floor, hustling for 248 digs while still ranking third on the team with 152 kills.
 
Next week, Kutztown will square-off against East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg, and Millersville, all on the road. KU will end the regular season with three home matches, two against last-place Cheyney and finishing up with West Chester before the PSAC Championships Nov. 19.
 
Current Eastern Division Outlook
 
1.    Shippensburg (12-3)
2.    Pitt-Johnstown (9-6)
3.    Lock Haven (8-8)
4.    Millersville (7-8)
5.    West Chester (5-10)
6.    Kutztown (4-10)
7.    East Stroudsburg (2-14)
8.    Cheyney (0-16)