EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's volleyball team opened PSAC East Division action with a 3-0 loss at the hands of East Stroudsburg at Koehler Fieldhouse on Friday night.
The Golden Bears (0-13) were dealt a tough hand to open conference play, as the Warriors (10-2) were picked to finish third in the East Division in the Preseason Coaches Poll, just one of three teams to land first-place votes.
East Stroudsburg opened the game with an 11-2 run, but the Golden Bears climbed back in the saddle after errors from the opposition. The Warriors quickly regathered and finished the first set, picking up a 10-point victory to open the match.
The second set featured a much closer fight, with both teams trading blows with a heavy kill success rate. In the end, East Stroudsburg took the win and looked for the sweep in the third set of the night.
Kutztown had other plans, as they clawed together a 7-0 run to open the third set, served up by junior
Mallory Hoch (Zionsville, Pa./Southern Lehigh) and aided with the assistance of freshman
Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker). However, the Warriors used the same magic to quickly return to form, and while the Golden Bears tied the set late at 24 apiece, East Stroudsburg took care of business with a kill and an ace to close out the match.
Sophomore
Sarah Hess (Landsville, Pa./Hempfield) and freshman
Christina Lockett (Gaithersburg, Md./Tuscarora) led the attack for the Golden Bears, each recording eight kills on the night. Freshman middle hitter
Grace White (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) finished with a team high 56 percent hit success rate, adding five kills and a team-high two total blocks in one of her most complete showings to date.
The Golden Bears return home to Keystone Arena on Sept. 30, where they will face Caldwell in a non-conference match at 7 p.m. Kutztown resumes PSAC competition with a home contest against Shippensburg at Keystone Arena on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
