INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team concluded its weekend at the PSAC-MEC Crossover Challenge on Saturday, falling to Shepherd University in four sets before winning a dramatic five-set thriller over West Virginia State University.
The Golden Bears split the opening two sets with WVSU, but fell in the third frame 25-22 to go down 2-1 in the match. Needing to win both remaining sets, Kutztown delivered finishing runs of 4-1 and 5-0 in sets four and five to claim the victory in its final match of the weekend.
The fifth set run for KU came out of a timeout with it trailing 11-10. West Virginia State added a kill after the break in action, but the Maroon and Gold offense came alive to finish the match off.
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) connected for three consecutive kills which
Abbey James (York, Pa./West York Area) then followed with a service ace to put Kutztown in front, 14-12. A Yellow Jacket error following a timeout secured the win for the Golden Bears, improving their record to 4-3.
Holly Owen (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) led KU totaling 39 kills in today's nine sets of action, extending her streak to seven straight games with the team-high in this category. Moyer had double-digit kills in each match, racking up 12 and 17, respectively.
James posted a double-double in each match, collecting a combined 48 assists and 24 digs on the day.
Amanda Meck (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood Area) matched James with 24 assists against WVSU, also adding eight digs, three kills and two service aces.
Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) followed a 22-dig performance against Shepherd with a 21-dig effort versus WVSU, her 18th and 19th career matches with 20-plus digs.
Shepherd
A recent addition to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) beginning in 2019-20, Kutztown took on the Rams of Shepherd to begin its second day of competition.
The Golden Bears came out strong, going on a 7-2 run to begin the opening set. Trailing 10-7 after an Owen kill, the Rams used a four-point run to erase their deficit, going in front 11-10.
A fifth Owen kill in the frame brought KU back to within one down 15-14, but SU scored the next three tallies to go up four, a lead it would not relinquish.
The Rams finished the frame off with a kill, taking the opening set 25-21.
Set two was just as competitive as the first with neither side holding more than a three-point lead until the end of the frame.
Moyer delivered back-to-back kills to put the Maroon and Gold up 20-18 late and KU evened the match at 1-all a short time later, using an Owen kill to claim a 25-21 win in the second set.
A slow start to the third frame proved too much for Kutztown to overcome as it trailed 6-2 to begin the set.
Shepherd further stretched this margin, hitting .344 in set three on its way to a 25-15 triumph.
The fourth set featured several serving runs from both sides. KU scored four consecutive points to go ahead 5-1 with Moyer at the service line, but was immediately followed by a run of seven straight tallies from the Rams.
Down three after two straight Shepherd kills, the Golden Bears scored with an Owen kill and the rare 'libero kill' from Wilson to pull within one.
SU had the final say, however, scoring the final four points to take the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
West Virginia State
Although KU kept pace to begin the match, WVSU gained control of the opening set in the nightcap after an Owen kill saw its lead cut to one at 16-15. The Yellow Jackets rolled off three straight points to go up four and never looked back.
West Virginia State extended its lead to as much as six points before finishing off its victory in the frame by a final of 25-19.
Kutztown found its rhythm, as in the first match, in the midway point of the second set. The Maroon and Gold used a 5-1 run to stretch their lead to five, forcing a WVSU timeout ahead 15-10.
With this margin in hand, KU was able to stave off any Yellow Jacket comeback, defeating WVSU 25-22 in set two and knotting the match at 1-1.
The Yellow Jackets went up as much as 12 points in the third set, but a furious Golden Bear comeback made the frame tight to the end.
Down 17-5, KU went on a 17-8 run to finish the set, but WVSU's lead would hold, taking the set 25-22.
A back-and-forth set four saw the Maroon and Gold clinging to a one point advantage ahead 17-16. At this point, the Golden Bears showed their closing ability, finishing off WVSU 25-19 courtesy of a 8-3 spurt.
Down 6-2 and 12-10 in the final set, Kutztown showed its fight to close out the victory.
Kutztown will face Queens College and Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. on Sept. 7 before PSAC play begins on Sept. 14 against Mercyhurst University.
