Box Score 1 | Box Score 2



WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The 2014 season is underway for the Kutztown University women's volleyball team. It traveled down to Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and opened the two-day invitational on Friday night and split a pair of five-set matches against Ursuline and West Virginia State.
 
The Golden Bears certainly earned every point in the 10 sets they played. It competed in a two hour match to open their season, and just 30 minutes later, took the floor again for a one hour, 45 minute match. Needless to say, Kutztown's preseason conditioning was quickly put to the test.
 
The Golden Bears opened their season with a five-set win over Ursuline (25-22, 16-25, 25-21, 20-25, 17-15). Despite having its 2-1 lead matched to force the deciding fifth set, the narrow victory is encouraging for KU after posting a 2-7 record in five-matches last season.
 
Senior Chelsea Braga (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach (Fairleigh Dickinson)) led the way with 15 kills, her most since her sophomore year in 2012. Senior Danielle Van Buren (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) and junior Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) tallied 11 kills apiece to round out Kutztown's three double-digit kill performers. Senior Aly York (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) impressed in her first match of the season with a career-high nine kills.
 
Sophomore setter Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) ran the offense and tallied 47 assists in the win. Defensively, Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) led the way with 23 digs and a pair of aces.
 
Kutztown's second match of the day also went five sets, but fell on the opposite side as it did in the opener. West Virginia State won the first, third and fifth sets of the match (19-25, 25-20, 16-25, 27-25, 8-15).
 
Stringer led the way with 13 kills and seven blocks on the front line. Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic) thrived in an elevated role from last season and threw down a career-high 11 kills. Van Buren rounded out Kutztown's top three attackers with seven kills.
 
Conti notched 42 assists as freshman Carly Shortridge (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) played very well on the defensive end with 17 digs.
 
The Winston-Salem State Invite continues tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 6, as Kutztown faces the host Rams at 9 a.m. and Elizabeth City State at 1:30 p.m.