KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team was back out on the court about 15 hours after a challenging, but rewarding, five-set victory over Shippensburg Friday night. It may have been tired legs, but KU still competed at a high level against first place Shepherd, falling 3-0 Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division match at Keystone Arena.
 
The Golden Bears (6-9 overall, 1-2 PSAC East) were downed by scores of 9-25, 20-25 and 23-25. The Rams (14-1, 3-0) showed why they are the top team in the conference, using their athleticism and power to control the game at the net. Shepherd held a 43-28 advantage in kills and a .274 hit percentage compared to .080 for KU.
 
Following a first set that was in hand for the Rams from start to finish, the Maroon and Gold showed that they belong on the same court and in conversation as one of the top teams in the East. Kutztown found itself within three points late in both the second and third sets, but Shepherd did just enough to hold on in the end of each set to win its 13th match in-a-row.
 
For the second match in-a-row, Sophia Basler (Dover, Del./Smyrna) led the KU offense with 11 kills. Emma Filipovits (Hanover, Pa./South Western) finished with six kills and Lauren Jackson (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) had four. Lexi Morrow (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) tallied 25 assists and eight digs, and Sydney Wilson (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) contributed 19 digs. Jackson and Nia Grigsby (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) both had one block.
 
Kutztown will play two more PSAC matches at Keystone Arena next weekend. KU will host Lock Haven on Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m., followed by a match with Bloomsburg on Saturday at 1 p.m.