Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
UNC-Wilmington (La Salle Tournament)
Bucknell Volleyball Splits on First Day at La Salle Invitational
9/2/2006 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2006
Box Score vs. UNC-Wilmington
Box Score vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Bucknell volleyball team split its pair of matches on Friday, the first day of the La Salle Invitational, capturing a 3-1 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore after falling to UNC-Wilmington, 3-1 earlier in the evening. The Bison's record now stands at 1-4 on the season while the Seahawks and the Lady Hawks both evened their records at 3-3 on the year.
In the victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore, senior Sarah Groman (Hollister, Calif./San Benito) paced Bucknell with a career-high 22 kills and hit .413 (22-3-46). Junior Jenna Henderson (Elk Grove, Calif./Laguna Creek) recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs and sophomore Liz Hazuka (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mtn.) set new career bests with 11 kills and eight digs. Also having a career evening for the Bison was sophomore Shannon Pitsch (Oak Brook, Ill./Fenwick) who tallied 50 assists for a new personal best on her way to a double-double with 10 digs. Freshman Rachel Freeman (San Mateo, Calif./San Mateo) totaled nine digs in her collegiate debut, while senior Kristen Sydlowski (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) posted 12 digs and matched a career best with four service aces.
"In the first match we just didn't really have great offensive production," said Bucknell head coach Cindy Opalski. "We were much more organized in the second match and ran the offense better. Sarah was dominant on the right side for us against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Rachel gave us a boost defensively coming off the bench."
Holiday Eller led the Lady Hawks with 19 kills along with 15 digs, Melanie Durimel added 18 kills and Caylin Woodward followed with 13. Setter Yael Rozner contributed 43 assists, 13 digs and three service aces, while Stephanie Braxton had 20 digs.
In game one, UMES came within a point of the Bison at 16-15 after a Bucknell attack error. The Orange and Blue then went on a 7-1 run to take a 23-16 lead and cruised to a 30-25 win, holding the Lady Hawks to a .026 hitting percentage in the opening game. However, UMES evened the match score at 1-1 by narrowly edging out the Bison in game two, 30-27.
Both squads fought hard in game three, virtually trading point-for-point until Bucknell managed to take the game, 34-32 after a service error by the Lady Hawks and a kill by senior Amanda Grossmann (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) closed it out.
Then in game four, the Bison trailed 21-19 before a kill by senior Jennie Smith (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) sparked an 11-4 stretch by the Orange and Blue that clinched the 30-25 game four victory and the match.
In their earlier contest against UNC-Wilmington, Henderson posted a team-best eight kills for the Orange and Blue and recorded 13 digs, while Grossmann had six kills and hit .455 with one error in 11 attempts. Sydlowski led the squad with 16 digs and Pitsch chipped in with 30 assists.
For the Seahawks, Paula McConnell registered a match-best 17 kills, Elizabeth Hanna followed with 11 and Megan Nash tallied 10. Defensively for UNC-Wilmington, Dorinda Petrisko totaled 27 digs, setter Jill Hoeck contributed 12 digs along with her 41 assists and Ashlyn Morris finished the match with 10 digs and led the squad with four service aces.
The Bison took game one by a 30-24 margin, holding the Seahawks to a .065 hitting percentage in the frame. UNC-Wilmington took its first lead of the game at 14-13 after a Bucknell service error. However, the Orange and Blue rebounded and regained the lead. Then with the score at 20-17, the Bison notched the next four points and from there remained comfortably ahead for the duration.
In game two, the score remained close for a majority of the contest with neither team capable of building an advantage larger than four points until the Seahawks, ahead 26-24, closed out the game with a 4-0 run to tie the match at one game apiece.
Bucknell opened game three with a 3-1 lead, but UNC-Wilmington rallied for a 12-0 run with the help of four service aces to jump in front, 13-3 and rolled to a 30-20 victory.
The Seahawks had another strong start in game four, holding a 15-8 advantage midway through, and clinched the match by winning game four, 30-21.
Bucknell will continue play at the La Salle Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 2, with matches against Rider at 12 p.m. and against La Salle at 7 p.m.
