KUTZTOWN, Pa.- The Kutztown University women's volleyball team (6-4) outlasted Chestnut Hill (2-8) in five sets by scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-13, 17-25, and 15-4 Monday night in Philadelphia.
The outside-hitting duo of freshman Adrianna Derstine (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) and senior Sadie Doss (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) led the way offensively for KU with 18 kills each in the match. Lexi Morrow (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) also registered 42 assists. The duo of Derstine and Doss contributed on the defensive side of the ball as well, combining for 27 digs. Grace Ingram (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) finished with four blocks.
The Maroon and Gold started the first set on the back foot when Chestnut Hill roared out to an early 9-4 advantage. From there, KU got back on track, going on an 11-6 run to tie the match at 15. The Griffins were able to take back the lead 21-18 before KU exploded for seven unanswered points to take the first set 25-21.
The second set started out dead even as the teams traded points until the score was tied at 10. Chestnut Hill then went on a couple of runs, which KU struggled to counter, leading to an 25-18 set win for the Griffins to tie the match at one set a piece.
The third set was all Kutztown. The Golden Bears blitzed Chestnut Hill early, going up 19-5 before the Griffins could find any sort of response, as KU took the set 25-13.
Chestnut Hill started the fourth set quickly, jumping out to a 10-2 advantage. The Golden Bears did a good job of battling back, but the early deficit was too much to overcome as the Griffins took the set 25-17, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
KU left little doubt in the fifth. Derstine's six kills put Chestnut Hill in a hole quickly that the Griffins couldn't recover from. The Golden Bears dominated the final set 15-4 and sealed a thrilling 3-2 victory.
The Golden Bears stayed hot, winning their second straight match and fifth in the last six. KU moves to 6-4 on the season after a 1-3 start and has won all five matches all-time against the Griffins.
KU opens Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play next match as Allison Keeley's squad travels to East Stroudsburg. That match will take place Friday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.
