KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown women's volleyball team swept Salem University and Goldey-Beacom College on Friday during the final day of the KU Classic to improve its record to 3-0, KU's best start since 2011.
Kutztown outscored its opponents 150-83 in today's tilts, leading for much of both matches.
Holly Owen (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) led the way for the Golden Bears, totaling a combined 22 kills in six sets while hitting at a blistering .355 clip from her outside hitting position.
Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) posted five or more kills in each match, finishing the day with 13 total kills and adding two blocks.
The Maroon and Gold offense, which hit .361 and .226 in the matches against Salem and Goldey-Beacom, respectively, was paced by the setting duo of
Amanda Meck (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood Area) and
Abbey James (York, Pa./West York Area). This tandem totaled 45 assists as KU recorded double-digit kills in all but one set.
Defensively,
Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) patrolled the backline to the tune of 24 combined digs while dishing out nine assists.
Salem
A feisty Tiger squad held a 10-8 advantage in the middle portion of set one before the Golden Bears caught fire. Five straight tallies, which included two Howe kills and one from Owen, staked KU to a 14-10 advantage.
After Salem scored the next two points, Kutztown again found its rhythm, scoring another five unanswered to take control of the opening frame, leading 19-12.
SU stopped the run momentarily, cutting its deficit to six, before the Maroon and Gold ripped off the final six points to secure the first set victory 25-13.
KU pulled in front 4-1 to start the second set and saw this margin to the finish line, never trailing after this juncture.
Lilly Charlton (Landenberg, Pa./Avon Grove) finished the frame with an ace to finalize KU's 25-19 win.
Set three started with four straight points for Salem, but the Golden Bears erased this lead quickly. With
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) at the service line, the Maroon and Gold posted the next seven tallies to edge ahead 7-4.
Offensively, Kutztown continued to make its presence felt as the set progressed, outscoring the Tigers 18-10 to finish off the third set 25-14, completing its second straight sweep of the season.
Goldey-Beacom
Despite going 5.5 hours between matches, the Golden Bears came out energized against the Lightning from the first point. Kutztown held an early 9-2 advantage and never looked back, defeating Goldey-Beacom 25-12 in the opening set.
GBC battled KU to begin the second set, evening the score at 5-all after forcing two Golden Bear errors.
The Maroon and Gold opened a two-point advantage in the middle portion of the frame, leading 9-7, before scoring 11 consecutive points to take control of set two. With this lead in hand, Kutztown finished off its eighth consecutive set victory a short time later, 25-15.
The third set began similarly as the second, knotted at 4-all in the early stages. A six-point run for KU distanced it from the lightning as Charlton totaled three service aces during this streak.
Ahead 18-10, the Golden Bears finished their day in style, scoring the final seven points capped by a James service ace to take the set 25-10 and complete the sweep.
Kutztown will have a week off from competition before heading to West Virginia to compete in the PSAC-MEC Crossover on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.
