Bucknell Volleyball Earns Straight-Sets Victory Over Colgate
Oct. 10, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - As most of the Bucknell's students went on fall break, the Bison volleyball team did anything but take a break, sweeping Colgate on Friday night in Davis Gym. The Bison's 3-0 victory earned them their second consecutive Patriot League victory in straight sets. The Orange and Blue were led by the sophomore tandem of Heidi Kamp and Kaitlin Segal who each recorded 13 kills. Bucknell (8-11, 3-2) and Colgate (6-11, 2-3) appeared to be evenly matched on paper, and it also seemed to be true on the court. Neither team was able to break away in the early stages of the match. However, down 8-7 in the first set, the Bison made the initial move. Senior Liz Hazuka recorded her first of four kills to tie the set. Freshman Kyleigh McAhren followed her elder teammate with a service ace. The next two points played out identically as Hazuka and McAhren tallied another kill and ace, improving Bucknell's advantage, 11-8. Sensing that the set was slipping away, Colgate called a timeout. The Raiders came out of the stoppage in play with back-to-back attack errors. Kamp and Segal then got hot at the net, recording seven of the Bison's final 10 points off of kills. Colgate's Merryl Pohl brought the Raiders within one at 23-22, but that was as close as it came. Bucknell took the opening set, 25-22. Despite an emphatic end to the set, Bucknell's control of the match wavered in the second. The Bison got out to a 7-5 lead off a kill from freshman Anne Ellenberger, but the Raiders soon took the advantage at 10-9. Ellenberger put a stop to the Colgate run with another kill to tie the set at 10 all. Another lead change a few points later set the stage for Kamp to demonstrate her effectiveness at the net as well as behind the service line. The Oregon native tallied three consecutive kills, all off of her own serve, and the Bison went up 15-14. A kill by Colgate's Katrina Zawojski put the Raiders up 18-17, but McAhren quickly turned things around for Bucknell. McAhren contributed to the Bison's next three points by registering two kills and a block assist with Ellenberger. That was all the home team needed as it earned a 25-23 second-set victory. Colgate took the first three points of the final set before Kamp took control with a kill. Hazuka then put Bucknell in the lead with three consecutive service aces. The Bison never gave up their advantage for the remainder of the match. Kamp and Segal continued their dominance with a combined 13 kills in the third. At match point, the ball floated above the net and was up for grabs. Both teams vied for control of the ball, and senior Shannon Pitsch overpowered two Colgate players for the match-winning kill. The Bison closed the book on Colgate in the third, 25-17. Although they struggled with their service game in earlier matches during the season, the Bison were very effective from the back of the court on Friday. "With the new scoring rules, serve and serve receive are two critically important aspects of the game," said head coach Cindy Opalski. "We did an excellent job of serving and hitting spots that took them out of their system." Hazuka finished the evening with four service aces, while Kamp had three and McAhren had two. Sophomore Rachel Rodriguez's ace brought the team's total to 10. Opalski was also excited about the even production from a number of players. In addition to having two Bison in double-figure kills, three players had six or more digs, and five had two or more blocks. "We did a really commendable job executing our game plan," said Opalski. "The thing I was most pleased about was our balance of attack. It's a terrific springboard for our trip to California." Kamp and Segal combined for 26 kills and six blocks, and McAhren added eight more kills and four blocks. Ellenberger's three kills on the night were matched with her three block assists. Defensively, freshman Emily Sawanobori led with seven digs and Pitsch followed with six. Bucknell is back in action at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12 when it takes on Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton, Calif. Live audio of the match will be available on CSU Fullerton's web site, fullertontitans.com. The Orange and Blue then head to Cal State Bakersfield for a 10 p.m. match on Monday, Oct. 13 in Bakersfield, Calif. Streaming video and live stats for the contest can be found on GoRunners.com.
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