Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
USC
Bucknell Volleyball Continues to Stumble with Losses to USC, Loyola Marymount
8/28/2010 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2010
LOS ANGELES - Bucknell volleyball suffered a second day of difficult matches at the Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles Saturday, falling in straight sets to No. 10 USC and Loyola Marymount. Morgan Clark (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) closed out the weekend having led the Bison (0-3) in kills in two of three matches, including the tournament finale's matchup with Loyola Marymount in which the freshman tallied five.
After three matches, Clark ranks second on the team in kills with 11. She trails senior Heidi Kamp (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon), who amassed 12 on the weekend in addition to her team-best five blocks. Rachel Rodriguez (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Kat Tauscher (Washington, D.C./National Cathedral School) finished neck-and-neck in assists with 25 and 21, respectively.
Head coach Cindy Opalski was pleased with her team's experience despite the disappointing record.
"It's one of the best volleyball venues in the country," Opalski said of the Galen Center. "To have the opportunity for our kids to play in this venue and be in the heat of a match against a team like USC is pretty amazing."
Bucknell had one of its most difficult tasks in recent history taking on nationally ranked USC in its first match of the day. The Trojans took the opening set convincingly, winning 25-7, but the Bison saw their best opportunity of the day in the second frame. Bucknell limited USC's ability to put together a major rally, allowing the Bison to hang around throughout the contest. Katie Baumgarten (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) and Morgan Mientus (Chicago, Ill./Saint Ignatius College Prep) each tallied a pair of kills early, with Mientus' second score putting Bucknell ahead 8-7.
USC eventually pulled away by as many as six points at 20-14 with the help of back-to-back aces from Sam Hirschmann, forcing Bucknell into a timeout. The Bison tried chipping away at their deficit and eventually pulled to within three at 21-18 on a block solo from Kamp and a USC attack error. That mini-run turned out to be Bucknell's last look at an upset, as USC ended the set with four consecutive points, closing things out with their biggest lead and a final of 25-18.
The close second set was a major turnaround from the first. USC jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, winning by 18 points. The only offense Bucknell was able to muster in the frame came from Baumgarten and Clark, who each had two kills, and Kamp, who finished with one. As the teams changed sides of the court, Bucknell's hitting percentage stood at -.129, compared to .435 for USC.
The final set began much the same way as the first with the Trojans earning an 8-0 lead. The Bison strung together three consecutive points as Rodriguez set fellow senior Kamp up for a pair of kills. Kamp also teamed with Kristin Titley (Coral Gables, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) for a block and put the score at 8-3. That was the closest thing to a run the Bison were able to put together down the final stretch, allowing USC to claim its second win of the season with a 25-13 final set score.
Baumgarten led with seven kills, while Kamp was close behind with six. Rodriguez finished with 11 assists, putting her in double digits for the first time this season. Defensively, Emily Sawanobori (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills) tallied six digs, and Kamp had two blocks.
Bucknell's second match of the day coming against Loyola Marymount proved to be challenging as well, but the Bison showed they were able to contend with the Lions. Each set started as a close contest with neither team able to extend a lead beyond a few points. The second set saw seven ties before Loyola Marymount pulled away at 9-7 for the first multi-point lead by either squad, and the Lions' first double-digit advantage didn't come until match point in the final set.
Despite the tight play, Bucknell was unable to keep up with the offensive firepower of its opponent. Loyola Marymount registered 17 kills in the first set, compared to Bucknell's seven. That trend continued throughout the match, ending with a 44-20 Lions advantage at the final whistle.
The Bison relied on several players during competition, starting with Anne Ellenberger (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) early in the first set. The junior tallied a kill for 3-2 before teaming with Kamp for a block assist a few points later. Clark, Kebah Edoho (Arundel, Md./Odenton) and Kyleigh McAhren (Napa, Calif./Justin-Siena) also produced on the front line in the first frame before falling 25-17.
Baumgarten, Tauscher and Clark chipped in kills early in the second set, and Baumgarten added a block solo to bring Bucknell within two at 11-9, but errors continued to creep into the Bison's game. Despite spending much of the set within just a few points of Loyola Marymount, Bucknell took a 25-16 loss.
The third set followed the same pattern as the first two. A four-point deficit was soon tied at 10-10 after kills from Clark and Kamp as well as a service ace from Sawanobori. Jessica Serrato (Millbrae, Calif./Saint Ignatius College Prep), Ragin Jackson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) and Titley also got in on the action, but Bucknell never took a lead. The Lions pulled away down the stretch, ultimately taking a 25-15 decision to hand the Bison their third straight loss.
Sawanobori's ace was Bucknell's first of the tournament. At the end of play, the Bison had been out-served 29 aces to one over three matches.
Joining Clark among Bucknell's leaders in the final match were Rodriguez with 12 digs and Tauscher with eight assists. Ellenberger and Jackson also had two blocks apiece.
The Bison will look for their first win of the season when they host the Bucknell Invitational Sept. 3-4 in Davis Gym. Bucknell will host Eastern Michigan, Iona and Providence in the two-day tournament. The Orange and Blue opens play against Eastern Michigan at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
