Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Villanova
Bucknell Volleyball Falls 3-0 to Tough Villanova Squad
9/19/2008 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 19, 2008
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Sophomore Kaitlin Segal continued to lead a struggling Bucknell volleyball team in the first match of the Villanova Invitational on Friday night. Segal had a team-high nine kills and 13 digs as the Bison fell 3-0 to the Wildcats.
Bucknell got behind early in the match, but the Bison refused to let the first set get away from them. A kill by Segal gave the Bison a 6-5 lead. Sophomore Heidi Kamp added a kill of her own to give the Orange and Blue its biggest lead of the set at 14-10. The strong Villanova attack came alive, however, and its front line led a Wildcat comeback. Dana Tartazky's second consecutive kill gave Villanova a 16-15 lead. A kill by freshman Anne Ellenberger tied the set at 20 apiece, but the Bison were unable to pull ahead before dropping the first set 25-22.
Bucknell struggled to recover from its loss in the first set. The Wildcats took the lead from the outset, and although a Villanova error tied the score at four, the Bison never took control. Bucknell dropped the second set 25-16.
Freshman Taylor Willis recorded her first career kill in the second set. Segal added three more while Ellenberger and Kamp each contributed two kills.
Senior Liz Hazuka opened the third set with one of her three kills on the night, but the Bison's fortune was little better in the third set as they fell 25-18. The squad's chance at a win began to slip away after freshman Kyleigh McAhren's kill evened the set at nine apiece. Villanova's Tartazky recorded her match-high 17th kill to put the score at 24-18, and a Bison error closed the door for good.
Contributing to the Bucknell effort were senior Shannon Pitsch with 14 assists and junior Allison Gittings with 11. Freshman Emily Sawanobori also had eight digs on the evening.
Although the Bison failed to play as well as they had hoped, head coach Cindy Opalski sees good things on the horizon as they continue to play very strong teams.
"We've turned the corner," said Opalski. "We're determined to do good things tomorrow."
Bucknell is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 20 for its remaining two matches at the Villanova Invitational. The Bison will face Penn at 10 a.m. followed by La Salle at 4:30 p.m.
