EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- East Stroudsburg, the PSAC Central Division preseason favorite, swept expected top challenger Kutztown, 3-0, Tuesday evening at Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Golden Bears were competitive early in all three sets, but the Warriors found another gear and used it to pull away in the later stages of each to win by scores of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-14.

Britney Hewitt (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and Erin Patterson (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) had seven kills apiece to lead KU's (7-11, 1-7 PSAC) offensive efforts, while Abbey James (York, Pa./West York Area) registered 14 assists. Libero Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) paced the team defensively with 18 digs and Lilly Charlton (Landenberg, Pa./Avon Grove) had three blocks.

Three straight points early in the first gave the Maroon and Gold its only lead of the set, 6-5, following consecutive kills from Hewitt and Holly Owen (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham). Kutztown only trailed 12-11 after another Hewitt kill, but the Warriors (16-4, 7-1) responded with eight of the next nine points to take command of the set.

Kutztown again jumped out to leads early in sets two and three, but could not hold on. A pair of combo blocks by Charlton and Haylee Holsopple (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) along with a Charlton kill pushed KU out in front, 5-2, in the second. ESU took the lead for good at 12-11 on a kill by Trea-sure Ketter and finished the set on a 15-6 run.

In the third, the Bears got two kills from Hewitt, one each from Owen and Holsopple and an ace by Alli Henderson (Boalsburg, Pa./State College) to gain a 5-2 edge. This time, an 11-2 Warrior run was the difference.

ESU received a double-double of 11 kills and 12 digs from Sarah Smith. Sam Dunphy and Ketter had seven kills and Kenzie Guimont six. The Warriors consistently threw up a wall at the net, totaling 13 team blocks on the night. Ketter was responsible for a match-high seven (two solo), Guimont had six and Dunphy five. Rachel Cain led all players with 34 assists and Emily Meredith had 18 digs for ESU.

Kutztown hit just .047 in the match with 29 kills and 24 errors on 106 attempts. The Warriors answered with a .280 attacking percentage and collected 37 kills on 93 tries. The hosts also had seven aces, four of which came from Dunphy.

The Golden Bears return to Keystone Arena for a pair of matches this weekend. They'll take on Seton Hill Friday at 7 p.m., and Cal U Saturday at 1 p.m.