Live Stats (Friday) |
Live Stats (Saturday)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team will make the trip out to Erie this weekend to begin conference play with four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) cross-divisional matches.
Kutztown (6-5) starts conference competition this weekend with four matches against PSAC West opponents. Traveling to Mercyhurst University on Friday, Sept. 27, KU will face Slippery Rock (5-8) at 2 p.m. and Mercyhurst (6-4) at 7:30 p.m. The following day the squad will travel down the road to Gannon University, competing against Edinboro (7-5) at 12:30 p.m. and Gannon (5-4) at 6 p.m.
Kutztown looks to earn an early lead in the conference standings, relying on the current success of sophomore middle hitter
Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and the rest of the Golden Bears young offense. Along with Stringer, newcomers
Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) and outside hitter
Liama Goodrich (Birdsboro, PA/Daniel Boone) have thrived on the KU front line.
Stringer, a converted middle hitter from the right side last year, is starting to become comfortable in her new role.
"I didn't start playing until I joined a club team my sophomore year in high school," Stringer said. "I feel as if I am finally finding my true potential as a volleyball player. I knew I needed to work hard over the summer, because switching from right side to middle hitter would mean I would have to play much faster to be successful."
Stringer currently ranks second in the PSAC in total kills with 131, behind Jill Edwards (163) of Shippensburg, a three-time All-PSAC East Team member, while sharing the PSAC lead in blocks (44) with Shelby Kyllo from Seton Hill.
"I actually didn't know I was second in the PSAC," Stringer added. "I am going to work hard to put every ball away and catch up to Jill, but I am more worried about the team's success right now."
Two freshmen have played an integral part in Stringer's success. Goodrich has been a consistent force on the front line next to Stringer, ranking second on the team in kills (106) and blocks (28). Conti has also stepped in to her new role very nicely, currently ranking third in the PSAC in assists with 343.
"Anna has been doing an amazing job," Stringer said. "We click really well on the court and I can always count on her to get me the ball at the right times."
To this point, the Golden Bears have posted a 6-5 record over the course of September, competing in a series of weekend crossover tournaments.
Kutztown opened the season at home in Keystone Arena, defeating Philadelphia three sets to one. With no time to celebrate, four universities made the trip to Berks County the following day to compete in the Kutztown Classic. KU escaped with a 1-2 record, falling to Caldwell and Southern New Hampshire before taking down Davis & Elkins in straight sets.
The next two weekends, KU faced off against half of the schools in the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Part of the MEC/PSAC Crossover Tournament, Kutztown defeated host Shepherd University (3-2) and West Virginia State (3-0) before falling in straight sets to Fairmont State. The following weekend however, the Golden Bears again saw Fairmont State, grabbing a thrilling 3-1 retribution win, finishing the tournament 2-2.
"From a team aspect, I think these tournaments are helping us a lot," Stringer said. "Traveling and playing two matches a day can be tough, but we are learning how to play together and be successful. It has given us the opportunity to figure out and address our strengths and weaknesses as a team."
After this weekend's contests, the Golden Bears are awarded a much deserved nine-match home-stretch, starting with Lock Haven on Friday, Oct. 4 from Keystone Arena.
