KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team fell to No. 14 Gannon University in three sets on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action inside of Keystone Arena.
KU (6-4, 0-2 PSAC) kept up with the nationally-ranked Golden Knights (12-1, 1-1 PSAC), holding leads in each of the three sets, but ultimately couldn't finish off a sound Gannon side. GU used runs of 5-1, 8-2 and 4-1 in sets one, two and three, respectively, to distance itself from the Maroon and Gold at critical junctures in each frame.
Brittney Moyer (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain (Lock Haven)) led the Golden Bears in attacking percentage for the second straight match, posting 11 kills at a .281 clip.
Holly Owen (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) was second on KU with seven kills on the day, but struggled with consistency, making eight hitting errors. Freshman
Erin Patterson (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) recorded five kills, her seventh match this season with five or more kills.
Amanda Meck (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood Area) and
Sarah Williams (Pikesville, Md./Home-School) facilitated the offensive effort to the tune of 11 and 13 assists, respectively, with Meck adding eight digs. Libero
Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) racked up 19 digs on the back line and had just one reception error.
At the net, Kutztown had 8.0 team blocks, one shy of its season-high recorded on Aug. 31 at Charleston (WV).
Jessica Howe (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area) and
Niki Carpenter (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion Area) led the way in the blocking category, finishing with a combined 11 of KU's 16 block assists.
Gannon recorded 11 more kills than the Golden Bears, posting double-digit kills in each frame, and hit .189 compared to KU's .053. It was GU's offensive efficiency combined with its sound defense, which finished with 54 digs and just three reception errors, that allowed the Golden Knights to claim the victory.
The Maroon and Gold will have to put an 0-2 PSAC opening weekend behind them quickly as they prepare to hit the road next weekend, taking on Slippery Rock and Edinboro on Sept. 21-22.
