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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team came away victorious in a five-set thriller to open its play at the Kutztown Classic on Friday evening, defeating Shepherd University, 3-2. 
 
In a very competitive opening frame, the Golden Bears and Rams were tied at 14-all following a kill from Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)). This proved to be a critical juncture as Shepherd ran off six of the next eight points to force a timeout from KU head coach John Gump, with Kutztown trailing 20-16. Following the break in action, the Rams saw their lead to the finish line of set one, coming out on top, 25-21.
 
The Golden Bears battled back from a 4-0 deficit to open the second set, tying it at 9-9 after an Alli Henderson (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) kill. The Rams would make another mid-set push at this point, scoring seven of the next eight to take a commanding 16-10 lead. Shepherd continued to stretch this lead as the set progressed, using four consecutive tallies to close out the set two victory, 25-16.
 
Despite the Rams' momentum, KU came out playing its best volleyball to open the third set, taking an early 10-2 lead. Both sides would trade points from here, but the early lead was too much for Shepherd to overcome as Kutztown finished off the set three victory with a thunderous Henderson kill, winning 25-14.
 
The tides continued to turn the way of the Golden Bears in set four, finding their offensive form at exactly the right time. With KU down 8-7, it went on an 8-1 run, which included five kills in that span from Henderson, to take a 16-8 lead. Despite a valiant Ram comeback which made it 16-14, Kutztown's timeliness proved itself again in this set, as KU used a 9-3 run to finish off Shepherd, 25-17. This tied the match at 2-all and sent it to a deciding fifth set.
 
With the fifth and deciding frame tied at 5-5, Kutztown used a three-point spurt to take an 8-5 lead. After changing sides, KU hung to its narrow lead, forcing a Ram timeout, leading 12-9. The Golden Bears finished the match off in style after the break, ripping off three straight points to win set five, 15-9, and the match, 3-2.
 
Moyer and Henderson were electric from their outside hitter positions for Kutztown, totaling 19 and 18 kills respectively of KU's 53 team kills. Defensively, four Golden Bears were in double-digit digs on the night led by Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty)'s 18. Moyer and Henderson added 12 and 10 digs respectively as KU out-dug the Rams 64-54. 
 
Following its spectacular come-from-behind performance, Kutztown will take back to the Keystone Arena hardwood tomorrow, first at 9 a.m. and then at 5:30 p.m., facing off with Goldey-Beacom College and Caldwell University to complete play at the Kutztown Classic.