Box Score LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team put up a valiant effort against Georgian Court, but the home team mustered up a 3-1 victory over the Golden Bears on Tuesday night.
The Golden Bears (0-4) showed improved effort on both sides of the ball and won the second set, but in a battle with both teams trying to gain momentum and pick up their first win of the season, it was the Lions (1-3) who protected home court and sent Kutztown home still searching for answers on the young season.
The second set was a sign of promise for third-year head coach
Allison Keeley's team, as the Golden Bears took a 3-2 lead early in the set and never looked back. Their 32 percent attack success rate was the best of the four sets, while they took advantage of a weak offensive round from Georgian Court.
Outside of the second set, however, the Lions took advantage of every opportunity against the Golden Bears and held them to a combined 23 points over the final two sets.
Many first-year players made contributions, with freshman
Madison Lowe (Kearneysville, W. Va./Jefferson) leading the Kutztown attack with 11 kills, six of which were in the second set, while fellow freshman
Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus) had 17 assists on the night. First-year libero
Lexi McLanahan (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area) recorded a team-high three service aces while adding a kill and an assist to a solid individual performance.
Kutztown will host the Shannon Sullivan Memorial Tournament at Keystone Arena this upcoming weekend, where the Golden Bears are scheduled to face Franklin Pierce (Friday, 11 a.m.), Fairmont State (Friday, 3 p.m.) and Bridgeport (Saturday, 6 p.m.) in the two-day tournament.
