MERTZTOWN, Pa. – In the first ever matchup on the volleyball court between Kutztown and Lackawanna College, Kutztown walked off its home court as victors in four sets Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup at Brandywine Heights Area High School.
The Golden Bears (13-2 overall) won by scores of 25-14, 25-13, 20-25, 25-15. The Falcons (0-7) are transitioning to an NCAA Division II program and is set to join the PSAC in the near future, but matches against them this season are considered non-conference.
Kutztown showed its superior talent over Lackawanna in the first two sets, amassing 28 kills to LC's 15, while also holding the visitors to a 0.033 hit percentage in the opening set. Head coach
Jason Barshinger was able to use his depth and get a lot of playing time for different Golden Bears throughout the night. The Falcons fought back in set three and led by as many as seven points, five different times, preventing any KU rallies to get on the scoreboard and stop the sweep. The Maroon and Gold, however, took care of business in the fourth set and finished it off, as they erased an early 2-1 deficit to score four in-a-row and led the rest of the way.
Three Golden Bear attackers ended the night with career-highs in kills, led by
Molly Wentz (Leola, Pa./Lancaster Catholic), who finished with 11 kills and five digs.
Emily Leppert (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) tallied 10 kills and
Emily Staszewski (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) recorded nine kills.
Lauren Montgomery (Norristown, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) notched eight kills and four digs and
Alex Haskins (State College, Pa./State College) had seven kills.
Abby Polo (Coventry, Conn./Coventry) contributed 23 assists and
Emma Baldridge (Damascus, Md./Damascus) added 17 assists and seven digs.
Julia Riley (Secane, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) led the defense with 15 digs, while
Mallory Hoch (Zionsville, Pa./Southern Lehigh) had eight and
Kristina Diaz (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) had seven.
Kutztown has a little bit of both this weekend in two road matches. KU will first have a conference match at Millersville this Friday night, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m., and then will take on St. Thomas Aquinas in a non-conference match on Saturday at 2 p.m.
