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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team was downed by the Clarion University Golden Eagles (25-23, 14-25, 16-25, 17-25) in four sets on Friday night to open its 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) slate.
KU got off to a great start early in the opening set, matching the Golden Eagles point-for-point late into the frame. Following a timeout from head coach
John Gump trailing 20-18, the Golden Bears struck for four consecutive tallies, going ahead 22-20 after back-to-back Clarion errors.
With this lead in hand, Kutztown kept the Golden Eagles at bay for the remainder of the frame, finishing it off with a resounding kill from
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) to claim victory in the first set, 25-23.
The Clarion offense came out firing from the jump in set number two, racking up six kills in its first seven points to take a commanding 7-3 lead. After a KU timeout, the Golden Bears would fight back, scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 10-9 lead.
Both sides traded points from this juncture as the set progressed, but a critical run by the Golden Eagles proved to be the difference in this frame. With Kutztown down 17-13, Clarion used a six-point run to go ahead 23-13, finishing off the set a short time later to the tune of a 25-14 final.
Clarion rode this wave of momentum into the third set, getting out to a 7-2 advantage, forcing a KU timeout. After the break in action, the Golden Eagles continued to extend their margin to the finish of set three, taking the frame, 25-16.
Despite the Golden Eagles' being in the driver's seat with a 2-1 lead in the match, Kutztown showed its fight in the fourth set, going toe-to-toe with Clarion late into the final frame. With the Golden Bears trailing 19-17, the Golden Eagles found their offensive form, scoring six straight tallies to defeat KU in the fourth, 25-17, and the match by a 3-1 score.
Offensively, the foursome of Moyer,
Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area),
Alli Henderson (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) and
Holly Owen (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) posted a combined 30 kills on the evening. On the defensive end, Moyer and
Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) both recorded double-digit digs, with Wilson leading the way with 24 digs in four sets.
Kutztown falls to 5-8 overall and 0-1 in the PSAC while Clarion improves to 10-3 and 1-0 in conference play.
The Golden Bears return to action tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m., taking on Indiana (PA) University in PSAC-play.
