PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Kutztown University Golden Bears volleyball team took on St. Thomas Aquinas and host Holy Family on Saturday, dropping both matches and falling to 0-3 on the young season.
The Golden Bears (0-3) were swept in their opening match against Holy Family (1-0), ending within three points of winning each set.
Madison Lowe (Kearneysville, W. Va./Jefferson) and
Christina Lockett (Gaithersburg, Md./Tuscarora) led the team with seven kills apiece, while
Maddie Ruhland (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) recorded four service aces.
Kutztown held a commanding lead throughout most of the first set, leading 17-12 before the Tigers roared back with a 10-2 run to gain momentum and take the opening set. The second set was a back-and-forth battle, with Kutztown taking a 24-18 lead before a 7-0 run, which gave Holy Family leverage to close out the second set. Another back-and-forth set took place in the final set, where the Tigers again prevailed to sweep the Golden Bears.
The final match of the day saw the Golden Bears fall to St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1), three sets to one. The Golden Bears were led by
Sarah Hess (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield), who recorded ten kills, while freshman
Macy Shewmake (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) assisted on six block attempts.
The Golden Bears opened competition with a close first two sets but came back in the third set with a commanding six-point victory in hopes of carrying momentum throughout the rest of the match. After tying the game at 20 in the fourth set, Kutztown gave themselves a much better opportunity to take control, but the Spartans managed a 5-0 run to claim the match.
Kutztown heads to New Jersey to take on Georgian Court, with competition beginning at 6 p.m. They return to Keystone Arena to host the Shannon Sullivan Memorial Tournament, where Franklin Pierce (Friday, 11 a.m.), Fairmont State (Friday, 3 p.m.) and Bridgeport (Saturday, 6 p.m.) will take on the Golden Bears over the two-day tournament.
