Video Highlights KUTZTOWN, Pa. – After dropping the first set 25-14, the Kutztown University women's volleyball team rebounded ferociously to win three-straight sets over Shippensburg University on Saturday afternoon from Keystone Arena, giving its five seniors a memorable sendoff in their final home game.
Kutztown is pushing for the final spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) postseason heading into the final week of competition, in a format where the top-four teams advance through. The Golden Bears (13-15, 7-13 PSAC) are currently in a tie for fifth with Millersville at seven wins each. West Chester and Shippensburg are in a tie for third with eight wins. Kutztown holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Ship, but 'Ville holds the advantage over KU.
The Golden Bears honored the five seniors of the 2014 squad in a pregame ceremony, featuring flowers and a framed jersey. This year's seniors included
Stacey Edmondson (Gap, Pa./Octorara),
Chelsea Braga (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach (Fairleigh Dickinson)),
Danielle Van Buren (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley),
Aly York (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone), and
Kelsey Kromer (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa).
Shippensburg (15-15, 8-12) dominated out of the gates on its way to a 25-14 triumph. The bright spot for KU in the first set was head coach
John Gump's showcase of speed and agility, clearing the way in a flash to allow
Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) to make a play-saving pass as the ball entered the Kutztown bench area.
The Raiders didn't give it up easily, but the Golden Bears were able to clench the momentum in the second set. After 11 tie scores and four lead changes, KU knotted up the match with a close 25-23 win.
After going five sets with Millersville the night before, Kutztown was able to put the nail in the coffin on Saturday. KU led the entire third set and only trailed Ship for one brief moment in the middle of the fourth as the Golden Bears wrapped up the match, 25-17 and 25-19.
Van Buren found her groove in the second set and never looked back, finishing with a game-high 16 kills on 35 attacks for a team-high .371 hitting percentage. It is the third match this season that she has reached the 16+ kill plateau. Van Buren and
Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic) led the team with four blocks each. Zielinski notched seven kills with a .333 hitting percentage, committing only one error.
Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) put down 13 kills on a .242 hitting percentage, and added three blocks. Braga and York contributed eight and five kills, respectively.
Brake led the team with 21 digs as the libero, while
Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) was right behind with 20. Conti tallied a game-high 39 assists as the setter.
Braga and York were also affective on the defensive side of the ball. Braga notched 17 digs and a block, while York recorded 11 digs and two blocks. York as surpassed the 11-dig mark in five straight matches.
Emily Kopinski (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) led the team with three aces and helped with 12 digs.
After seven-straight home games, the Maroon and Gold will hit the road for the final two. KU will square off against West Chester Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m., followed by Cheyney the next day.
