Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Bucknell Volleyball Stays Perfect in Five Setters, Defeats Holy Cross 3-2 on the Road
10/16/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 16, 2010
WORCESTER, Mass. - Bucknell volleyball won its fifth match in six tries, battling to a 3-2 decision over Holy Cross (21-25, 26-24, 25-22, 14-25, 15-12) in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday night. Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) and Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) both reached double-digit kills, while Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) and Leylin Marroquin (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) did the same in digs as the Bison improved to 7-12 overall and 5-2 in the Patriot League.
With the victory, Bucknell moves into third place in the league standings through the first round of play. The Orange and Blue trail American, who is first at 7-0, and second-place Army at 6-1 against league foes. With seven matches remaining, Bucknell must stay among the top four teams remaining to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament in November.
The Bison's first set against the Crusaders (10-16, 2-5) looked as if it were going to follow the same trend as Bucknell's opener at Army last night. Kamp tallied the first kill, and the Bison eventually fell by an identical score of 25-21. This time, however, Kamp stayed a power offensively in between the first and last points, claiming five total kills.
Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) also did her best to leave her mark. The sophomore twice got the Bison deficit down to a single point down the stretch. Despite the effort, Bucknell never took over the lead.
That effort continued into the second set. The Bison were never able to pull ahead by more than two points throughout the frame, but a late push turned out to be difference. After back-to-back attack errors put Bucknell down by four, the team turned the corner and began working its way back into the mix. Baumgarten claimed a kill, and Kamp followed with a block solo for 19-17 in favor of Holy Cross. A few Bison kills and Crusader errors later, and the set was tied at 23 apiece.
An untimely service error for Bucknell then gave Holy Cross set point. McAhren erased that in a hurry with a kill. Jackson and Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) teamed up for a block on the next rally, giving the Bison their first set point of the night. Rodriguez took the momentum and ran with it, registering her first kill of the night to even the match at a set apiece with a 26-24 win.
Set number three also went in Bucknell's favor. All-around contributions pushed the score to 14-10, forcing Holy Cross into a timeout. The stoppage did little to help the Crusaders. A second timeout several points later had the same effect, and the Bison took a 21-15 lead. Holy Cross eventually righted itself and finished the set with seven of the final 10 points. Even that was not enough, however. Bucknell won by three, 25-22, having never trailed in the stanza.
If there were a set the Bison would like to forget, it would be the fourth. Marroquin served her second ace of the night early on, but Bucknell never quite got the offense going. The Bison recorded just five kills as a team and hit -.125 compared to 13 kills and a .258 percentage for the Crusaders. When all was said and done, Holy Cross had forced a deciding set after a 25-14 win.
Bucknell picked itself up quickly after stumbling in the fourth set. Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) threw in two kills, and Rodriguez and Baumgarten added in one apiece as well. Baumgarten's ace also helped to put the Bison in front 6-2 before the Crusaders snapped back into action.
Holy Cross twice tied the set, the final time coming off a kill by Megan Lynch, but it never took a lead. Jackson made sure the Bison stayed in front both times with her eighth and ninth kills of the night. Baumgarten ultimately closed the door on their opponent, handing the home team a 15-12 loss with a kill on match point.
Baumgarten's final kill kept Bucknell undefeated in five-set matches. The Bison also went the distance successfully against Providence, Navy and Colgate this season.
Although the Crusaders' Lynch led all players with 23 kills, the Bison benefitted from a more balanced attack. Kamp and McAhren each finished with 10 kills, while Jackson and Titley had nine. Baumgarten also claimed eight kills to go along with her 10 digs, which tied Marroquin for the team lead. Rodriguez and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) combined for 44 assists.
Bucknell will open the second round of Patriot League action at Navy and American Oct. 22-23.
