KUTZTOWN, Pa. – With no set being decided by more than five points and two sets being determined beyond 25 points, the Kutztown University women's volleyball team held its own against the West Chester Golden Rams on Friday night, ultimately falling 3-2 in its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division home opener inside Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears (7-7, 0-1 PSAC East) had great play from many players, including sophomores
Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus) (50 assists, two aces and two blocks) and
Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker) (29 digs, eight assists and two aces) and freshman
Madilyn Bogovic (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) (20 kills and two aces), but it was the Golden Rams' (11-2, 2-0 PSAC East) consistent attack that gave them the victory and kept them in the driver's seat of the division.
After the Golden Rams took the opening set, 25-20, the two faced off in another tight contest in set two, with the Golden Bears hanging with the opposition through a back-and-forth battle, one that WCU took a late, three-point advantage after several bad KU breaks. Kutztown won seven of their next eight points to take a 21-18 lead, and while the Golden Rams closed the gap, the teams exchanged serves for several points before the home team secured the last two points in a 25-23 win.
The next two matches went beyond 25 points, with set victories being claimed by each team. Set three featured a 22-17 West Chester lead trimmed down thanks to several attacking errors, allowing Kutztown to tie it at 24-24. It was a battle for a short stretch, and while the Maroon and Gold claimed the 26th point to be in position to win, West Chester won three straight to take the set, 28-26. Set four featured another Kutztown comeback, with a 7-2 run late in the frame, erasing what was once a five-point lead. The visitors battled back once again, but KU put up three straight points to force a fifth set with a 26-24 set win.
The fifth set featured an 8-4 West Chester lead, but the Golden Bears continued its resilience from prior sets, scoring four of five in a run that knotted the frame at 12. With West Chester holding the serve, they were able to force a back-and-forth run to close out the match, 15-13.
Junior
Paige Skinner (Placerville, Calif./Ponderosa) joined Bogovic to lead KU with 20 kills, while sophomore
Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) had seven kills and four blocks on the night. Rookie outside hitter
Lauren Montgomery (Norristown, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) contributed on 7.5 points for Kutztown, including seven kills and a block assist.
The Golden Bears will continue PSAC East play with a home matchup against the Millersville Marauders tomorrow, October 4, with the start time slated for 4 p.m.
