KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team traded victories through the first four sets on Friday night against Shippensburg University, but ultimately fell short, 3-2, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match held inside an energetic Keystone Arena.
 
The outstanding atmosphere provided an extra boost for the Golden Bears (8-25, 5-16 PSAC), who held a lead in four of the five sets and played very well against an excellent Shippensburg (26-8, 15-6) team.
 
Freshman Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) recorded a team-high 13 kills, while Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) totaled nine kills and six blocks.
 
Shannon Restrepo (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) finished with six kills, 15 assists and 26 digs. Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) doubled-up with 21 assists and 12 digs.
 
Tori Wakelee (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) chipped in with six kills, 12 digs, two service aces and two blocks. Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) finished the match with 25 digs.
 
Nikki Carpenter and Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic) each tied career-highs with seven blocks each.
 
Kutztown trailed 5-3 in the opening set before using an 8-0 run to jump ahead to an 11-5 lead. The Golden Bears kept their foot on the gas and cruised to a 25-15 opening-set victory.
 
Shippensburg bounced back in the second frame, taking a 22-13 lead that KU could not overcome despite scoring six of the final nine tallies in the set. The Raiders ultimately took the set, 25-19.
 
Momentum shifted back to the Golden Bears when they opened the third frame on an 8-3 run, forcing a Shippensburg timeout. Following the break, KU stayed hot and pushed the lead to 14-5. The Raiders were unable to climb back into contention as the Golden Bears took the set, 25-20.
 
A 7-0 run in the middle of the fourth set propelled Shippensburg to a 25-17 victory, forcing a fifth and final set.
 
The beginning of the final frame for KU could not have gone any better. The Golden Bears jumped out to an 11-4 lead to the delight of the raucous fans inside Keystone Arena. Shippensburg was forced to use two timeouts in an effort to slow KU momentum.
 
Following their second timeout, the Raiders shifted the tides and went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 13-13.
 
Next, KU could not capitalize on a 14-13 lead, and ultimately fell in the final set, 17-15.
 
For Shippensburg, Annie Goerl totaled 17 kills and 31 digs, while Morgan DeFloria tallied 17 kills. Maura Nolan finished with 44 assists and 16 digs.
 
The Maroon and Gold will look to rebound from the tough loss tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. against Millersville on Senior Day from Keystone Arena.