Box Score



West Chester 3, Kutztown 0, (HTML Box Score) | Photo Gallery
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team concluded its 2013-14 season on Saturday afternoon, a painful exit for the KU seniors as West Chester University swept the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match in straight sets at Keystone Arena.
 
KU will end the season with a 14-19 overall record, and a conference record of 8-14. West Chester also concludes the season 8-14 in the PSAC, but with an overall record of 16-17. Saturday's defeat pushes WCU past KU in the standings, finishing fifth and sixth in the East Division, respectively. However, only the top four seeds from each division continue to playoffs, so both squads will start looking forward to next season.
 
West Chester got off to a hot start in the first set, taking an 11-4 early lead and cruising to a 25-12 set victory.
 
The Golden Rams held the lead for the entire second set as well, but never by more than five points. WCU was able to hold off for a 25-21 win.
 
Kutztown was in front for the majority of the third set, but two late West Chester runs put the Golden Bears behind them, taking the match in the third set, 25-19.
 
West Chester libero Callie Krajcir proved to be a problem for the KU offense, as her team-leading 16 digs held Kutztown to only 17 total kills all match, tied for its lowest on the season. KU also had trouble finding an answer for Julia O'Brien, as she forcefully put down 13 kills.
 
Freshman Liama Goodrich (Birdsboro, PA/Daniel Boone) led the KU offense with five kills, while Chelsea Braga (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach (Fairleigh Dickinson)) and Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) each added four. Braga also led the defense with 12 digs.
 
Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) recorded 15 assists in the defeat, giving her 1,039 on the season. Her valiant effort places her sixth in the Kutztown all-time single-season assist record book.
 
Middle hitter Nicole Brumbley (Oxford, PA/Oxford) played her final match as a Golden Bear. Brumbley played in 77 matches over her four years at KU, finishing with 343 kills, a .247 attack percentage, and 240 total blocks. Brumbley really shined during her junior season, playing in 126 sets, and recording 187 kills and 141 total blocks.
 
Defensive specialist Emily Heppler (Newtown Square, PA/Marple Newtown) also wrapped up her four-year career at Kutztown. Mixing in at libero for KU, Heppler leaves with 76 matches under her belt. She recorded 557 digs and 37 service aces throughout her career. 2012 was Heppler's best season as well, when she was featured in 124 sets. She tallied 413 digs during her junior season, third best on the team.
 
Avery Hodgson (Surf City, NJ/Southern Regional) is the last graduating Golden Bear, as she came to the KU volleyball squad for the first time in her senior year after spending the first three years as a standout on the KU basketball team. Hodgson saw her first action this weekend against Cheyney, playing in five sets and knocking down 13 kills.
 
Kutztown will now reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of this past season in order to prepare for a playoff run next year. With the majority of the core squad being freshmen and sophomores, the nucleus is still in place for Kutztown to become a solid contender for the next few years.