SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team fell to Wilmington University (Del.) on Saturday morning, 3-1, before sweeping Davis & Elkins College in its final match at the Shippensburg Volleyball Tournament held inside Heiges Field House.
Kutztown (1-2) struggled with consistency against Wilmington (Del.) (2-1). After winning the first set 25-20, KU fell 25-12 in the second set.
In set three, the Golden Bears played the Wildcats close, but fell short by a score of 25-22. In the match-winning set for Wilmington (Del.), the Maroon and Gold seemingly ran out of gas and were outscored 25-5.
Senior
Audrey Stringer (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) hit .206 and recorded a team-high 13 kills.
Shannon Restrepo (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) finished with 19 assists, eight digs and four kills.
Tori Wakelee (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) recorded eight kills and 11 digs.
Kutztown found consistency and hit its stride against Davis & Elkins in the nightcap.
Trailing for the majority of the opening frame, the Golden Bears capped off the set on an 11-5 run. KU scored the final six points in the set due in large part by the play of Restrepo. In the final five points she recorded two aces, one additional kill, one assist, and forced an error. The freshman finished the match with 27 assists and five digs.
Overall, Kutztown ran its offense efficiently, handled serve reception extremely well, and put forth its best defesive effort of the season.
Stringer hit .500 and tallied 14 kills while freshman
Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) finished with eight kills.
Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic) recorded seven kills and
Abbe Ahern (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) finished with six.
For Stringer, she continues to climb up the ranks in the record books. She now ranks eighth all-time at KU with 798 kills. Additionally, dating back to last season, she has recorded double-digit kills in seven consecutive contests and in 18 of her last 23 matches.
The Golden Bears return to Keystone Arena to host the Kutztown Classic next weekend. The Maroon and Gold will matchup against New York Institute of Technology on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7:15 p.m. in its first of three games on the weekend.
