Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Cal State Bakersfield
Bucknell Volleyball Swept by Cal State Bakersfield
10/14/2008 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2008
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Sophomore Kaitlin Segal twice recorded kills at two separate Cal State Bakersfield set points but was unable to bring the Bison back from behind as Bucknell fell 3-0 to the Roadrunners on Monday night at the Icardo Center. Segal's four kills on the night was bested by sophomore Heidi Kamp and freshman Kyleigh McAhren who each had six and senior Liz Hazuka with five for the Orange and Blue.
Bucknell (8-13) had its best opportunity of the night in the second set. McAhren opened play with a kill to give the Bison their first lead of the match. The visiting team moved out to a 3-1 advantage after a Cal State Bakersfield (11-9) service error. The Roadrunners quickly caught up, however, and tied the set at 4 apiece off a kill. After having an attempt at net blocked and going down 6-5, Bucknell responded with a kill by Kamp off an assist by junior Allison Gittings.
The two teams traded points for much of the set. The Bison tied the set for the sixth time with a kill by Hazuka for 11 all. A block assist by Kamp and freshman Anne Ellenberger again eliminated all advantages at 13 apiece, but the Roadrunners started to gain control of the match. The home team took the lead on the next point and continued to improve its advantage to 16-13 on a service ace and a Bison error. Bucknell reduced the lead to two points at 17-15, on another block assist by Kamp and junior Lindsay Smith, but it proved to do little in the long run. Segal's kill delayed the victory on Cal State Bakersfield's set point, but the Bison dropped the second, 25-18.
Although Bucknell's best chance came in the second, Cal State Bakersfield still provided them with plenty of openings in the first. The Roadrunners committed five service errors in the set, including one on their own set point. Kamp began the match with the hot hand as she recorded three kills in the first 12 points of the match, but the Bison were unable to put together a solid run. Having never gotten a good handle on the set, Bucknell fell in the opening set, 25-18.
Hazuka got off to a quick start in the third, tallying back-to-back kills and making the score 2-1. A struggling Roadrunners service game turned around, however, as Cal State Bakersfield followed up by posting three consecutive aces and put the Bison down 5-2. A kill by the Roadrunners at 10-4 forced Bucknell to call a timeout. The home team immediately committed a service error and McAhren recorded her fifth kill of the night to slow Cal State Bakersfield. It was not enough to stop them, however. The Bison continued to commit errors in the bottom stretch of the match and eventually fell 25-14 despite Segal's successful kill on the Roadrunners' first match point.
In addition to Hazuka's five kills, the Colorado native also totaled a team-high five digs. Kamp finished the match defensively with three blocks. Ellenberger teamed with Kamp on two of those stops. The Bison were led in the assists category by senior Shannon Pitsch with 13 and Gittings, who finished with six.
The Roadrunners' Rosemary Stribling led both teams with nine kills, and Barbie Thistle had a match-best 29 assists.
With the West Coast road trip at a close, Bucknell returns home for two Patriot League matchups. The Bison face off against American at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17 and Navy at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. In addition to joining the Orange and Blue at Davis Gym, fans may also follow the contest with American through live video on Bison Vision. Live stats on GameTracker will also be available for both matches.
