URBANA, Ohio. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team began play in the Urbana Invitational with two losses on Friday, dropping a three-setter (20-25, 23-25, 16-25) to Malone before falling in four sets (18-25, 25-23, 23-25, 14-25) to host Urbana in the nightcap.
 
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) led KU with 28 kills on the day, extending her streak of matches with double-digit kills to nine to open the season. She added double-digit dig performances in both contests as well, recording her seventh and eighth double-doubles of the year, respectively.
 
Zandria Zielinski (York, Pa./York Catholic) and Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) were Kutztown's second-leading offensive performers, each finishing with 14 kills between both matches.
 
Madison Brake (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) paced Kutztown with 30 digs across the two contests, while Anna Conti (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) totaled 64 assists. Taylor Brown (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) had an impressive day at the net, playing a part in a team-best seven total blocks as the Golden Bears recorded more blocks than both opponents.
 
Kutztown got off to a great start on the day, scoring six of the first seven points, which included a block and kill by Cara Long (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area), before Malone (4-7) responded with a 12-3 run.  KU came back to tie it at 13 and 14, respectively, before the Pioneers surged with four points in a row to appear to have taken control. The Golden Bears got as close as one, 20-19, when Moyer and Brown registered back-to-back kills and Moyer converted a service ace, but MU fought off the potential comeback with the next four points.
 
Kutztown was well on its way to tying the match up at one set apiece as Moyer capped a 12-6 stretch with a kill to put the Golden Bears up 19-14, but Malone answered with seven of the next eight points to take its first lead, 21-20, since it was ahead 8-7. The score was then deadlocked at 21, 22 and 23 before Faith Lau gave the Pioneers a set point, which they converted on a KU error.
 
The third set began like the first and second, with Malone up 11-9 through the first 20 points. That is where the Pioneers made their run, using five unanswered to establish a 17-10 advantage. Kutztown could get no closer than five points from there and MU completed the sweep.
 
KU held a slight advantage in blocks, 7-5, led by Zielinksi's four, with Brown and Long adding three each.

The Golden Bears also recorded one more dig, 58-57, as Brake led all players with 19 and Carly Shortridge (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) set a new season-high with eight.
 
Tying for a match-high 11 kills, Moyer posted 13 digs for her seventh double-double through eight matches. Brown and Howe were next in line with six each, as Brown matched her season-high for a second consecutive match and hit a team-best .357.

Urbana (4-7) pulled away in the first set of the nightcap thanks to a 6-1 flurry that included three Katlynn Dunlap kills to go up 20-14. KU took the next three points but was unable to get any closer.
 
Leading by as many as eight, 13-5, it looked like Urbana would make it a two-set lead, but Kutztown climbed its way back and would eventually rattle off the final four points of the second to even the match. Trailing 23-21, back-to-back kills by Moyer started the rally before two consecutive Blue Knight errors completed the Golden Bear comeback.
 
KU carried that momentum into the beginning of the third, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage when a Sophie Kerschner (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon) service ace capped a run of five successive points, but Urbana quickly erased the deficit and momentarily went on top 12-11. The two teams shared eight ties from there, including at 23-23, before the Blue Knights finally pulled away for the win with kills from Madison Davis and Mikaela Beck.
 
Urbana used four consecutive points midway through the fourth to build upon an 11-10 lead and would not look back, eventually scoring the final five points of the match as it ended the set with a .393 hitting percentage.
 
Again it was Moyer leading the offensive attack, this time with 17 kills to go along with a team-best 11 digs. Tori Wakelee (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) and Brake also finished with 11 digs, which matched a new season-high for Wakelee.
 
Zielinski was one kill away from her third career double-digit kill performance, including second in the past three matches, as she hit a team-high .350. Howe was right behind her with eight kills, also ending with an impressive hitting percentage of .333.
 
Brown  doubled any other player with four total blocks, as it was KU holding a 6-4 advantage in the category.
 
The Golden Bears continue play in the Urbana Invitational tomorrow, wrapping up nonconference play with matches against Armstrong State at 10 a.m. and then at 4 p.m. versus Shepherd.