Kutztown University Athletics

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Kutztown University women's volleyball rebounded to earn a weekend split with a thrilling, 3-2, comeback victory at Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon.
 
Madilyn Bogovic (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) had a season-high 18 kills, Saige Thibodeaux (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker) collected 28 digs and Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus) had 27 assists and three service aces for the Golden Bears (12-2, 1-1 PSAC).
 
Kutztown rallied to force a fifth set before scoring the last four points in the final stanza to wipe out a late two-point deficit.
 
Bogovic and the Bears came out swinging in the first set, hitting a match-best .394 with 18 kills on 33 attempts. The sophomore from Mechanicsburg, Pa., led the way with eight kills and no errors on 11 tries.
 
Bloomsburg (7-5, 0-2 PSAC) battled back from an early 5-0 hole to tie the set four times but KU got three kills from Bogovic and one each from Ellie White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) and Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) to pull away down the stretch for a 25-20 victory.
 
It was the Golden Bears playing catchup in the second after falling behind 8-3. A block by Jaedyn Bartholomew (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain) and Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) gave KU its first lead of the set, 16-15, and the set was still up for grabs when Ellie White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) finished off a set from Abby Polo (Coventry, Conn./Coventry) to make it 22-all. Sophie Wales put the Huskies on her back by contributing to their final three points with two kills and a block as Bloomsburg prevailed, 25-23.
 
The Huskies jumped in front with a 25-19 win in the third as KU's hitting percentage dipped to .031, but the Bears answered with their backs against the wall in the fourth.
 
A strong defensive effort saw Thibodeaux record 13 of her match-high 28 digs and Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) total six block assists as Kutztown turned around the third set result with a 25-19 win of its own to force the deciding set.
 
The Maroon and Gold didn't lead in the fifth until the final points of the match. They stayed right with the Huskies but were two points from defeat when Lena Jones' kill increased Bloomsburg's edge to 13-11. Kutztown wouldn't yield another point. Bogovic provided two kills, including the clinching point, Julia Riley (Secane, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) had an ace, and the Huskies had an attack error as KU emerged with a 15-13 win.
 
Bogovic (18 kills, 13 digs) and Skinner (13 kills, 10 digs) had double-doubles, while Ellie White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) tied a career-high with 11 kills and added five block assists. Bartholomew registered eight block assists and Grace White (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown) seven, supporting 12 team blocks for KU.
 
Bloomsburg also had three players with double-digit kills, led by Jones' 16. Abigail Eagler had 14 and Katie Kuehl 13. The Huskies hit .225 overall (62 kills-24 errors-169 attempts) to Kutztown's .206 (59-24-170).
 
Kutztown is back at home on Tuesday, Sept. 22, to take on Lackawanna for the first time in program history. First serve from Brandywine Heights High School is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.


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