KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team opened the Shannon Sullivan Memorial Tournament with a pair of losses to Franklin Pierce and Fairmont State on Friday at Keystone Arena.
The opening match of the first day saw Franklin Pierce (2-4) gain a 2-1 advantage over the Golden Bears (0-6), but the home team clawed back to win set four and made it a close battle towards the end of the deciding set, falling to the Ravens by a tally of 15-13.
A number of freshmen paced the Golden Bears in the opening match, with libero
Lexi McLanahan (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area) and outside hitter
Madison Lowe (Kearneysville, W. Va./Jefferson) leading the Golden Bears with four aces apiece, while middle hitter
Bryanna Carter (Abingdon, Md./Edgewood) and outside hitter
Noelle Slye (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) picked up 12 kills each in their five set effort.
The Golden Bears continued to seek their first win in the third match of the day, but a Fairmont State (5-2) team coming off of a victory in the second match carried the momentum in a three-set sweep of Kutztown.
Lowe and freshman
Christina Lockett (Gaithersburg, Md./Tuscarora) each had six kills for the Golden Bears, while freshman
Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker) recorded 11 assists and an ace for Kutztown.
The second match saw Fairmont State defeat Bridgeport (3-2), 3-1, after winning their final two sets each by a score of 26-24. Franklin Pierce opened the final match of the day with a 2-0 lead, but Bridgeport won three straight to close out Friday's slate.
The Shannon Sullivan Memorial Tournament will conclude with a pair of matches on Saturday, as Franklin Pierce will take on Fairmont State at 4 p.m., and Kutztown will close out the night against Bridgeport at 6 p.m. at Keystone Arena.
Shannon Sullivan Memorial Tournament
Friday, Sept. 13 | Kutztown, Pa.
Day 1 Results
Match 1: Franklin Pierce 3, Kutztown 2
Match 2: Fairmont State 3, Bridgeport 1
Match 3: Fairmont State 3, Kutztown 0
Match 4: Bridgeport 3, Franklin Pierce 2
