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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – After going 2-1 at its home tournament, the Kutztown University women's volleyball team continues its home-stand this weekend Sept. 22-23, squaring off with Clarion University and Indiana University (PA) to kick off its 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) campaign.
The Golden Bears (5-7) have picked up three wins in the past week of action, defeating Bowie State in straight sets on Wednesday, Sept. 13 in their home-opener. This was then followed up by a dramatic come-from-behind five-set triumph over Shepherd University on Friday, Sept. 15, to open play at the Kutztown Classic. On Day Two, KU claimed a victory in the first match of the day, a 3-1 defeat of Goldey-Beacom College to run its win-streak to three.
For Kutztown, this marked the first time since 2014 that it has won three consecutive matches and the first time since 2012 that this feat was accomplished at home.
In the final tilt of the weekend, the Golden Bears fell to Caldwell University in a back-and-forth battle, losing by a 3-1 score. Despite the loss, KU's 2-1 record marked its best performance at its home tournament since 2012, when it went 4-0 against Virginia Union University, Southern New Hampshire University, The College of Saint Rose and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Outstanding offensive performances of the weekend were delivered by the trio of
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)),
Alli Henderson (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) and
Holly Owen (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), whom combined for 106 kills in three matches. Owen led the three with a .278 attacking percentage and
Niki Carpenter (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion Area) added 15 kills, hitting at a .444 clip to lead KU in that category. The combination of Carpenter and Owen also showed their defensive prowess at the net, posting a combined 22 block assists.
Defensively,
Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) anchored the Golden Bear backline with 69 digs and setters
Madisyn Kleinfelter (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) and
Amanda Meck (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood Area) totaled 58 digs in support. The duo of Meck and Kleinfelter facilitated the Kutztown offense effectively to the tune of 119 total assists.
KU welcomes Clarion University (9-3) to Keystone Hall, opening PSAC-play at home on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. Clarion comes into this matchup following a weekend in West Virginia, in which it went 3-1, defeating University of Charleston, Fairmont State University and West Liberty University.
Individually, the Golden Eagles feature a balanced attack with the foursome of Taylor Braunagel, Julia Holden, Olivia Olson and Lauren Driscoll all having at least 100 kills on the season. Setter Leah Vensel is largely responsible for an offense which ranks second in the PSAC with 13.39 kills per set, posting a conference-high 463 assists thus far. Defensively, Catherine Ferragonio patrols the Clarion backcourt, leading the way with 257 digs and a 5.84 digs per set average, which ranks third in the PSAC.
The Golden Eagles will be a tough opponent for Kutztown as it looks for its first victory over Clarion since 2006.
Following Friday's match against Clarion, IUP (9-3) will be KU's opponent on Saturday, Sept. 23 in a 1 p.m. showdown on the Keystone Arena hardwood. The Crimson Hawks make their way to Kutztown after posting an unblemished 3-0 record at the Notre Dame (OH) Tournament this past weekend, coming away with victories over Concord University, West Virginia Wesleyan University and host-Notre Dame College.
The Crimson Hawk offense is led by Natalie Cignetti, who currently leads the PSAC with 4.28 kills per set and has racked up a total of 167 kills this season, hitting at a blistering .310 clip as an outside attacker. Setter Katie Miller ranks second in the PSAC with 10.70 assists per set, totaling 428 assists in the 2017 campaign.
Kutztown looks to defeat IUP for the first time since 2011, when it claimed a five-set victory on the road on Sept. 16.
