EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – For just the first time this month and in the last eight matches, the Kutztown women's volleyball team came out on the wrong end of a result, falling in straight sets at East Stroudsburg Friday night in the PSAC Eastern Division opener.
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The Golden Bears (11-2 overall, 0-1 PSAC East) entered Friday having won their last eight matches and were off to their best start to a season since 2006. But the Warriors (8-5, 1-0) came out on the winning end by scores of 25-20, 25-16, 25-22.
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While KU came into the match on a hot streak, it was ESU which showed life in the opening set, netting the first nine points and 11 of the first 12 to take a commanding double-digit lead. The Maroon and Gold could only get to within three the rest of the way as they fell into an early hole. Kutztown took its first lead of the match early in the second set as
Paige Skinner (Placerville, Calif./Ponderosa) and
Jaedyn Bartholomew (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain) recorded back-to-back kills to give their team a 2-0 advantage. After a Warriors attack error tied the score at 6-6, the hosts rattled off eight unanswered points to go up 14-6 and then finished off the match on a 5-0 run to take the second set. In the third set, the Golden Bears trailed 8-5, but scored the next four points, highlighted by two kills by
Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) and another from Skinner to go ahead 9-8. But that was the only time they would hold a lead. They trailed 23-22, but ESU netted the final two points to finish the match.
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Skinner tied the match high with 15 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double.
Madilyn Bogovic (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) finished with nine kills and 14 digs and White tallied six kills and one dig.
Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus) recorded 18 assists and four digs and
Abby Polo (Coventry, Conn./Coventry) contributed 15 assists and three digs.
Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker) added 21 digs and two assists.
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Kutztown continues conference play with another road match tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 19, at Bloomsburg at 1 p.m.
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