Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Loyola Chicago
Bucknell Volleyball Starts Slowly at Loyola Chicago Invitational
9/5/2008 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 5, 2008
Final Stats: Loyola Chicago 3, Bucknell 0
Final Stats: Evansville 3, Bucknell 0
CHICAGO, Ill. - Sophomore Kaitlin Segal had 15 kills in two matches and classmate Heidi Kamp added 13 as the Bucknell volleyball squad lost 3-0 to both Loyola Chicago and Evansville in the Loyola Chicago Invitational on Friday. Senior Shannon Pitsch tallied 17 assists against Evansville to put her total for the day at 28.
In the afternoon game against host-team Loyola Chicago (4-0), Bucknell (0-5) had its best opportunity at a set win in the third. After being tied early at one point apiece, the Bison grabbed the lead and held on to it for a majority of the set. A service ace by senior Sheena Czipri made the score 9-4, putting the visiting team up by five, its largest lead of the match. As the Bison started to slip, freshman Kyleigh McAhren put a stop to a brief Loyola Chicago run with back-to-back kills to bring the score to 13-10.
Despite being outdone 12-11 by Bucknell in kills during the set, the Ramblers fought their way back to avoid their first loss of the season. They caught their first glimpse at a fourth consecutive win by tying the set at 23. Freshman Katie Baumgarten recorded her fourth kill of the set to bring it back to 24 apiece, but Loyola Chicago finally closed the door with a 26-24 victory.
The first set was also tightly contended. Segal contributed back-to-back service aces to take a 5-4 lead. Kamp extended the lead to 6-4 with her first kill of the day. Kamp later stopped a four-point Ramblers run with another with the Bison down by two. Kamp's second kill made the score 8-7 in favor of Loyola Chicago.
The Bison struggled to regain control of the set, but a kill by junior Lindsay Smith tied the contest at 13. McAhren then added two consecutive block assists and a kill to bring the Bison within two at 22-20. Segal assisted with the first block, while junior Allison Gittings completed the block assist on the second. Despite Bucknell's effort, Loyola Chicago never relinquished the lead, winning 25-20.
Bucknell was unable to maintain any momentum from the first set as it continued its second-set woes. The offense faltered, registering only six kills compared to the Ramblers' 14. Segal led the team with three kills, while McAhren added two and Kamp threw in her fourth of the day.
Although the Bison fell 25-15 in the second set, head coach Cindy Opalski saw cause for optimism after Friday's afternoon match.
"We saw significant improvement in the blocking and hitting aspects of the game against Loyola," said Opalski. "Our ten block assists indicated our front line players are becoming more focused. We've reduced our unforced errors and are now able to string some points together and generate a more productive offense."
Bucknell had little to show for their effort, however, in the second match of the day versus Evansville (2-4). The Bison dropped their fifth consecutive match on the young season by set scores of 25-16, 25-19 and 25-16.
In the first set, Bucknell got some offensive help from its freshman front line of McAhren, Baumgarten and freshman Anne Ellenberger. McAhren recorded two of her six kills, while Baumgarten and Ellenberger each had one. Despite the youth movement, Bucknell had its final lead of the set at 5-4. Evansville then ran off seven straight points, and the Bison were unable to recover.
Bucknell faced similar fates in the second and third sets. Segal and McAhren led off the second set with back-to-back kills and Segal recorded a service ace for the third point of the set, but the Bison were unable to put together a solid scoring run. Five of Kamp's nine kills in the match came in the second set. She added four more in the match's final contest.
Segal added three more kills in the final sets to bring her match total to six. Czipri, Pitsch, Ellenberger and Baumgarten also contributed to the squad's kills total. The distribution of offense served as a bright spot for Opalski.
"I think Heidi Kamp is starting to come alive and the offense as a whole is starting to come alive," said Opalski.
Despite a strong defensive showing from freshman libero Emily Sawanobori who had 13 digs in the match against Evansville, the Bison still seek improvement in that part of their game.
"We need to do a better job of taking care of the first pass. If we can consistently take care of that first pass, good things are on the horizon," said Opalski. "We're playing against really tough teams and we're really being challenged. Challenge is a good thing in life, and we just need to step up to the challenge."
Bucknell volleyball continues play at the Loyola Chicago Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6. The Bison play the University of Tennessee at Martin at 11 a.m. then complete the tournament with Sam Houston State at 6 p.m.
