Bucknell University
American
Bucknell Volleyball Says Goodbye to 2010 with 3-0 Loss to American in Patriot League Tournament Semifinals
11/20/2010 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. - An upset was not in the cards for fourth-seeded Bucknell volleyball, which fell in straight sets to No. 1 American at Bender Arena in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals on Saturday evening. A strong Eagles squad, which remained undefeated against league foes, held the Bison offense at bay throughout play, handing them a 25-17, 25-13, 25-21 loss.
With the defeat, Bucknell ends its season with an overall record of 10-17 while American improves to 28-2. The Eagles also earn the opportunity to reclaim the Patriot League Tournament title tomorrow when they face No. 3 Colgate at 4 p.m. in the championship match. Colgate upset No. 2 Army, 3-1, in Saturday's other semifinal match.
Although the team recorded just nine kills and finished the set with a .029 hitting percentage, Bucknell had its best look at taking a set off American in the third. When the Bison took a 2-1 lead with some help from a Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and a block assist from Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) and Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon), it was their first of the night.
American soon pulled in front, but Bucknell never let its opponent out of its sights. Six times the Bison pulled in within a single point. An attack error from the Eagles finally gave Bucknell a look, tying the set at 20 apiece, but the Bison were unable to take that last step. American ended the match with a 5-1 run to punch its ticket to the championship contest.
Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) did her best to make things interesting in the third set. The junior registered four of her six kills on the night in addition to serving an ace and teaming up with Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) for a block.
Baumgarten shared the team's match high in kills with Kristen Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School). Titley was consistent throughout, tallying two kills in each set. Her first gave Bucknell its first point of the night, snapping American's 4-0 run to begin play. Titley's second kill did not come until much later, however, saving a set point. In between, five other Bison earned kills, including Kebah Edoho (Odenton, Md./Arundel), Baumgarten, Kamp, Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) and Jackson.
At the end of the first set, only Titley, Kamp and Jackson had more than one kill, resulting in a 25-17 deficit.
The second set went much the same way as the first. American opened play with a 6-0 run that included two aces from Patriot League Player of the Year Magdalena Tekiel. Baumgarten and Titley threw in some kills to end the run and make the score 7-3, but the Bison never truly got a handle on the action. The Eagles did not allow the Bison to string together two consecutive points after the 8-6 mark, and the set was soon called at 25-13.
Titley and Baumgarten's six kills apiece led the Bison, while Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) had a team-best 11 assists. Kamp closed out her career with a team-high three blocks. After four years in the Orange and Blue, the senior ranks third in block assists (277) and fourth in total blocks (323).
Leading the way for American was Angelina Waterman. Waterman posted 14 kills and tied Deborah Frantz for the team high in digs with nine. Alexandra Hammer chipped in 36 assists.
